Belle of the Boulevard
by Caramelized
Summary: AU: Friends that left each other long ago meet again under unfavorable circumstances... Don't be afraid. Dry your eyes. Life is always hard for the Belle of the Boulevard. ;; RoxasxNamine
1. The Local Bar

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.

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**Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

A young looking woman with messy maize colored hair slammed her finished drink on the counter top, joining the other four glasses. To the public's eye, it would just seem like she had a long, stressful day. However… this wasn't the case. Her disheveled hair and dress were from someone else. More specifically, her ex. The shivers that racked her body weren't caused by the cold, but by the memory of what happened not too long ago. She slumped in her chair, hands covering her face. Lone tears finding their way down her face, muted choked sobs escaped her throat.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she flinched from the touch, she flinched from any contact now. The soft touch left her and she felt the owner ease into the chair next to her and lean closer to her. The blonde sniffled and backed away slightly when the hands tried to pry her hands away from her tear-stained face. When her vision was no longer obscured, she saw a young man, around her age, with sandy blond spikes and the warmest blue eyes she's ever seen. She felt the back of her eyes stinging when she noticed how it contrasted from the hungry blue eyes she'd seen earlier today… No. She refused to cry over him, not after what he did.

The young man in front of her searched her face with concerned eyes. The way he looked at her, it made her feel… loved. But… why? A familiar feeling rose from the back of her mind but she was too intoxicated to figure it out. Her dulled eyes drifted to the young man's lips. They moved as if he was talking, but she couldn't hear a single thing. She felt her eyes droop and she swayed a bit in her chair. She felt a strong grip on her shoulders, steadying her. Her half open eyes saw the spiky-haired man's lips move again but she still couldn't understand him. She saw him sigh and she felt herself being pulled upwards. She found that she was now leaning into the young man.

His attention wasn't focused on her but rather on the bartender. It seemed like he was paying for her, but what else? She saw the bartender describe something and she saw the young man's eyes widen. The men exchanged a few words and the bartender nodded quickly and reached over to hand the young man some keys. The young man nodded his thanks and turned his attention back to her.

She felt a slight blush when she realized she was staring intently at him. He chuckled and took off his jacket, wrapping her body inside it. After doing so, he put a reassuring arm around her shoulders and led her out of the bar. At first, her mind screamed at her, but it became a dull noise in the back of her head as the alcohol settled in her body. Instead of going with her rational sense, she cuddled into the young man's warm embrace and leaned on him all the way to what seemed like his car.

He opened the passenger door and gently lowered her inside. He buckled her seat belt before shutting the door and climbing into the driver's side. He started the car and started driving. The young blonde felt his gaze drift from her to the road ever so often. This feeling felt so familiar so the young woman decided to not fight it, instead, she nestled deep into the young man's jacket and drifted off to sleep, the warm scent of the spiky-haired man surrounding her.

- x -

_ The young woman was slammed against a wall, hands tearing at the jacket she was wearing. She was thrown onto the bed, a heavy weight on top of her. She tried her hardest not to whimper as the straps of her dress slipped off her delicate shoulders and lustful kisses trailed along her entire upper body. As hands started exploring her body, she started thrashing, desperate to get away…_

- x -

The young woman woke up momentarily to find herself fighting the young man that took her away from the bar. He was currently trying to walk up the stairs to a bedroom so she could sleep. Her eyes were wide with fear but she eventually calmed when she realized that the young man hadn't touched her anywhere he shouldn't have. He was merely carrying her for her own convenience. She became flustered and mumbled a very quiet 'sorry'. She couldn't manage anything louder after **that**.

She felt a rumbling chuckle from the man holding her and she felt her body warm up again, especially because he was carrying her bridal style. She buried her face into the man's jacket as he laughed again, continuing on to the bedroom. She noticed how his laughter was warm and inviting, unlike the cruel and lustful laugh of her ex…

They reached the bedroom and the young man gently set her on what seemed to be his extreme care, he tried to take the jacket away from her so he could pull the covers up, but she gripped the jacket tightly and he laughed and shook his head. He pulled the covers up to her neck and turned to leave.

Without thinking, the young woman's hand shot out to grab the man's. He turned slightly, shocked to find his hand captured by hers. He noticed the frantic look in her eyes and realized what she wanted. He lightly removed her hand from his. The young woman's eyes widened even more, so close to letting out a whimper as she watched him walk towards the door.

The fear of her memories lessened when she heard the small click of the door and saw the young man coming back with a chair and what seemed to be an acoustic guitar. He put the chair down and settled into it. He leaned towards her; his hand lightly stroked her hair, brushing it out of her face. That same hand went to touch the strings of the guitar and the old instrument let out a beautiful melody. He opened his mouth to sing quietly – like a lullaby. The young woman relaxed from her tense position and was being lulled to sleep by the soothing voice of the young man next to her.

She couldn't be sure, but she swore she felt a small kiss on her forehead. Either way, she was grateful; the spiky-haired man sang and kissed her nightmares away.

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**A/N:** Haha well... from the pairing list, you already know who these two are... sooo :). I tried to keep it vague but you'll find out soon enough. It's so hard to not be redundant without names... haha. But yeah - this was definitely stress relief. God, why am I writing such 'dark' things now xD? Whatevv... As SOME of you may know, this is inspired by the song _Belle of the Boulevard_ by _Dashboard Confessional._ The chorus was what I had in mind when the **_young man_** was singing to _**her**_. :)

ANYWAYY. Hope you enjoyed. Leave a review please c:! And if you're feeling particularly awesome... you could always favorite or alert it... :). Haha, I don't plan on having THAT many more chapters though... but you never know... :D


	2. Don't Turn Away

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

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Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

The young woman's eyes fluttered open. They scanned the room, finding her surroundings slightly unfamiliar. Her eyes landed on the chair next to bed – it was empty. The blonde tried to sit up, but she succumbed to the throbbing headache from the alcohol. She laughed wryly to herself. She, of all people, had a hangover.

Her ears perked up when she heard a muffled strumming of a guitar – accompanied by a beautiful voice. She recognized the tune immediately – it was the lullaby that let her sleep nightmare less. The melody was coming from the room next to the one she was in. The young woman sat up slowly this time, and leaned against the headboard of the bed. She gingerly set her ear against the wall and heard the lyrics to the song.

_Don't turn away.  
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes…  
Don't be afraid,  
But keep it all inside, all inside.  
When you fall apart…  
Dry your eyes, dry your eyes.  
Life is always hard,  
For the Belle of the Boulevard…  
Please hold on, it's alright.  
Please hold on, it's alright.  
Please hold on…  
_

The strumming of the guitar faded and the blonde thought she heard a wistful sigh. She slowly slumped back onto the bed. She noticed that she still held the young man's jacket. She flushed lightly and slipped back under the covers. She didn't want to get up and find the young man – not in what she was wearing. When she lay her head back down on the soft pillow, she looked up on the ceiling and gasped. Looking down at her… was a huge ceiling poster of herself and… the young man that had brought her here. She examined the picture closely… she didn't recognize this young man, but they obviously had a very close relationship.

In the picture, her arm was hooked around his neck and she was on top of him, as if she were receiving a piggy back ride. Her face was bright with laughter – as was the young man's. Upon studying the poster, she realized that this picture was extremely old… This picture had been taken at Twilight High. Hands flew to her mouth when her eyes landed on the necklace shown in the picture.

The necklace was a small double heart, etched on it was a small '_Besties: NxR'_. Cold shock washed over her when she realized – she'd forgotten her best friend since birth. Her hands searched her throat for the necklace; tears welled up in her eyes when she realized her neck was bare. Her eyes shot to the door when she heard it open with a click. Frantic blue eyes met shocked cobalt ones.

- x -

The young man had been thoroughly shocked to find his former best friend sitting up. He became even more shocked when he saw tears in her eyes. Two silent questions formed in his head – did she hear him sing the melody that lulled her to sleep earlier and why is she on the verge of crying? He decided that the latter was more important.

He opened his mouth to voice his question but his eyes trailed to the hand resting on her throat. His eyes immediately darted to the ceiling poster and back to her. His eyes hardened instantly. He laughed wryly to himself. She really didn't remember him. She took herself seriously when she said that he would no longer be a part of her life. The young man slammed the door shut as he saw tears rolling down her face. As he slid down onto the floor, back resting on the wooden door, his heart stopped when he heard a broken voice call out,

"_Roxas…_"

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**A/N:** Short update. More stress relief. :) I think I'm gonna make this a short story of mine... maybe it'll evolve into something bigger... NOW YOU KNOW THE NAME OF ONE THE OF THE CHARACTER'S ;D. Muahaha. More planned for the next time... I have to make sure I plan it out better before I write a full blown chapter.. xD


	3. Don't Be Afraid

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

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Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

The quivering sobs coming through the door pierced Roxas to the core. He longed to go back in there and comfort the crying blonde but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not after what she did to him – the pain and suffering she put him through. Roxas balled his hands into fists and slowly got up from his sitting position. He trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen. He slammed his fists on the counter, ignoring the shooting pain that shot up his arms.

Roxas huffed in exasperation and covered his face with his hands. As much as he tried to bring himself to hate the blonde in his room, he never could. He sighed and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out a small black container. He opened the lid and slowly lifted out a broken necklace. He cradled it in his palm before setting it gently back in its box. He stored it away, just like he did with his feelings.

- x -

The slam of the door sent an empty echo through the young blonde's heart. Even worse, the look that Roxas had given her had been enough to shatter her entire being. The cold, intense glare he'd given her… she shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. The choked sobs escaping her throat quieted down to tiny whimpers. The young woman rubbed the remaining tears from her eyes and slowly climbed out of bed. A rush of cool air surrounded her and she shivered. She immediately picked up Roxas' jacket and wrapped it around herself. She winced when she heard a loud slam downstairs.

The blonde slowly made her way around the room, gently touching the discarded guitar that had let her sleep dreamless. She further explored Roxas' room, peering into his closet and finally, his desk. She noticed an old tin box gathering dust at the corner of the desk. She reached over slowly and hesitantly opened the lid. She gingerly took out its contents and spread it out on the table top.

Guilt built up in her chest as she saw that all of these pictures were memories of high school, more specifically, of her and Roxas. She marveled at how happy they looked together.

"_How could I forget these memories…?" _the young blonde thought to herself.

As the young woman picked up the tin box to put the photos away, she heard a quiet metal clinking. She looked into the box and saw a simple, yet elegant ring. Her eyes widened as she pulled it out. It was a single band silver ring that split into two ends, entwining around the delicate blue topaz. Along the inside of the band, a single word was engraved: _Promise._ The blonde set the ring down and thought about the meanings of a blue topaz. Her eyes widened when she remembered: "_Promoting fidelity and integrity"_.

She ran a hand through her hair and gripped the ends. She peered into the tin box again and found a crushed note. Gently taking it out and smoothing it out, she noticed that the note was written in pen but there were smudges on some of the words – they looked like tear drops, washing away the message. A few more tears were added to the old note as the young blonde's eyes scanned through the messily written lines.

She couldn't decipher the last few lines of the note, they were crossed out and smeared with old tear stains. What had she done to him, to cause that look in his eyes? She knew that she'd forgotten him but there was a fuzzy memory in the back of her mind, refusing to resurface. A soft knock at the door shifted the blonde's attention. Shock ran through her when she heard a muted voice call her name,

"Naminé?"

- x -

His resolve cracked. He couldn't stay away from her. After all, he was being a bi-polar asshole right now. First he saves her from a bar and now stomps out of the room full with old rage. Roxas needed to fix this, grudges never got anywhere besides deep regret. He slowly went back up to the room and pressed his ear against the door. The room was silent except for a few small sniffling noises.

"_She can't still be crying… can she?"_ Roxas thought to himself. He gently knocked on the door and called out,

"Naminé?"

He heard a light gasp but he took that as an invitation to open the door. After all, it is his room… Roxas stepped into the room and looked at the mess she had made on his desk. He glanced at the old photos but his eyes widened at the sight of the ring and the old crumpled note. He felt something rise in him again, but he willed it away. He took a few breaths and slowly walked over to his desk.

He saw Naminé flinch away, ever so slightly. He chuckled a bit. Roxas reached over Naminé and swept the photos back into the tin container. He gingerly took the ring and note from Naminé's hands and set them back into the box. He noticed that the blonde in front of him had her cheeks streaked with tear trails again.

He sighed and wiped them away gently. Naminé blinked several times, as if confused if this situation were reality or a dream. She had just gone through Roxas' stuff but he didn't look remotely mad. She opened her mouth to say something but Roxas put a finger to her lips. He mumbled something that sounded like,

"Hey… Sorry about… five minutes ago."

Naminé was in disbelief. Why would he apologize? If anything, it should be _her_ apologizing to _him._ Roxas straightened up and scratched the back of his head. She smiled at this; he always did this when he was feeling awkward. Roxas looked around the room, letting his eyes rest anywhere but her. Her smile still had the same effect on him. He started to say,

"So um… whenever you wanna go home or something… I'll drive you there—"

He was cut off by a pair of slender arms wrapping around his neck. Roxas was startled to find Naminé hugging him; her face buried in his neck. Her voice was muffled but he could still hear her say,

"No… I'm sorry… and… if you don't mind… I'd like to stay here for a while…"

Roxas was stunned, he hadn't heard her voice since forever. He nodded to let Naminé know that she was allowed to stay. Roxas slowly brought his hands up to rub circles into her back, to soothe her. However, in doing so, it caused his jacket to fall from her shoulders, revealing patches of purple. He felt the girl in his arms flinch slightly. Roxas slowly brought her out of his embrace and looked at her.

He was shocked to find red marks across her delicate face and upper body. He noticed how a strap of her dress was torn off while the other rested off of her shoulder. He turned Naminé around and found that there were bruises in the shape of hands along her back and shoulders. Parts of her dress were ripped by crude force and he cringed when he noticed how bruises trailed her arms and legs.

By the time Roxas had turned Naminé to face him again; her eyes were clamped shut, tears already flowing freely. The appearance of his best friend sent a sharp pang through Roxas' heart. Roxas let Naminé's arms wind around his neck again, but this time, he picked her up and he walked over to his bed. He settled down against the wall with Naminé in his lap. He let her cry against him, stroking her hair gently. He asked softly,

"Nami… tell me what happened?"

The only response he got consisted of a few very terrified whimpers. He decided to let her cry it out and he'll wait for her to tell him. Roxas brought his face close to hers, whispering,

"Don't be afraid, Nami. I'm here now. I'm here…"

Naminé gripped Roxas tighter; as if afraid he'd disappear. Roxas kissed Naminé's forehead and tucked her head under his chin and they stayed like that until the tears stopped and they both drifted away.

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**A/N:** Sorry... this seemed like a filler chapter. I started writing it and totally met a road block... xD. BUT YOU NOW KNOW BOTH NAMES :D. Btdubbs... all the ambiguous stuff will be revealed/clarified later :). So yeahh.. I think I'm gonna TRY and make this a full blown story... If I have enough ideas.. Though honestly.. I don't know where this story is gonna end up. This is like... the first time where I've thought about the middle... but not the ending... WEIRDDDD. Haha welll... R&R Please! :) They make me veeeerrrryyy happy c:. But yeah, my updates will be slow... sooo SORRY!


	4. Keep It All Inside

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

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Belle of the Boulevard**

_By_ _xLycheeRain_

_ Today, Naminé Suzuki felt like she was on top of the world. Nothing could make this day better for her. The most wanted guy in the entire high school had asked _her_, _HER, _out to prom! Excitement just seemed to bubble out of her. She didn't even stop to wonder about the motive behind it – she had never even spoken a word to the boy. She was delighted anyway. Naminé's eyes lit up even more when she saw her best friend, Roxas Hikari, at his locker. It looked like he had something really important in his hands, he was, after all, staring intently at it. She bounded over to him with a smile on her face. She pounced on his back while she gushed,_

"_Roxas!"_

- x -

_If the sandy-blond haired boy hadn't had great balance, he would've fallen head first into his locker and he would've dropped the little black box into sight. His hands were on either side of the locker to keep himself and the girl on his back from falling. He straightened up and turned around. He smiled brightly; he could recognize that voice anywhere. _

"_Hey Nami."_

_He marveled at how perfect she looked without even trying. He looked into her eyes and saw there was a brighter gleam in them. He was about to ask when he was cut off by an excited,_

"_Guess what?"_

"…_what?"_

"_I got asked to prom by Seifer Almasy!"_

_In that instant, Roxas' world shattered, but with years of practice, he kept it all inside. He couldn't, however, keep the wavering out of his voice._

"_Really? That's… great Nami."_

_Naminé's hair shook violently while she nodded her head._

"_I KNOW. I'm so excited! He called me the belle of the boulevard… but I wonder why he would've asked now… I've never really… talked to him."_

_Roxas wanted to scream at her that _he _came up with 'belle of the boulevard' and Seifer stole it from him. Roxas wanted to scream that Seifer was a player and didn't want anything else but to get into a girl's pants. Because he was this girl's best friend… he couldn't break it to her – not when she seemed so excited. Sooner or later… he had to warn her. In the meantime, he mustered up the happiest smile he could. _

"_I'm happy for you Nami."_

_Roxas saw Naminé fingering the necklace that he'd given her in middle school. A small double heart necklace that had the words: _'Besties: NxR'_ engraved on the heart. She'd been so happy about that necklace that she never took it off – even if she was wearing a different necklace. His thoughts snapped back when Naminé asked,_

"_Roxas… do you still have the necklace I gave you?"_

_Roxas slowly pulled out the necklace from inside his shirt. They were two intricately shaped keys, one with _'Naminé', _and the other with _'Roxas',_ written on them. They were crossed together and they were only complete when placed together. Coincidentally, Naminé's necklace had a small key hole in it and Roxas' necklace would fit inside the key hole. Roxas smiled faintly and said,_

"_Yeah Nami, I'd never lose this."_

- x -

_Naminé smiled and nodded. She couldn't help but notice that her best friend's eyes seemed to dull every second he was with her. She frowned slightly and shook it off. She grabbed Roxas' arm and pulled him along,_

"_C'mon slow poke, let's go home already!"_

_Roxas walked her home and he left her at the front door. His house was just a few blocks down. He waved good-bye but didn't say anything else. Naminé frowned again. She opened her door and went straight to her room. _

_She looked into the mirror and saw that her necklace seemed a bit loose. She quickly unfastened it and examined it. The looped chain seemed to be getting looser and threatened to give way. Naminé bit her lip and tried to fix it; nothing seemed to work. She sighed and put the necklace back on – she'd just have to take better care of the jewelry, especially because it meant the world to her._

- x -

Roxas groaned slightly and cracked his eyes open. He hadn't had a high school dream since he lost contact with Naminé when he entered college. He let out a big yawn and observed his surroundings. He was still on his bed, leaning against a wall, with a fragile Naminé in his arms and lap. Her arms encircled his back and her small hands gripping the fabric of his clothes. Her head was still tucked under his chin but it made Roxas shudder. This position let him see the extent of damage done to Naminé's body.

Roxas tried shifting his position, but this caused Naminé to tighten her hold on him. He sighed and he slowly moved both of them into a lying down position. He let his head hit his soft pillow, sighing blissfully at the texture. He brought Naminé closer to his body, the poor girl had pretty much next to nothing covering her body.

Roxas pulled the covers up to cover both of them. In doing so, it caused a shiver to escape from Naminé's body, the contrast between Roxas' body heat and the cool covers surprised the unconscious girl. Anyhow, this caused her to cuddle even closer to Roxas, slowly settling down into a deep slumber again.

Roxas laughed lightly and kissed the blonde's hair. She never seemed to change. Too bad the guy she was with changed drastically. Roxas never got the chance to show Naminé what he had back in high school with his volition – instead, she found it on her own – though he doubted she knew what the note had said. He shrugged; right now was not the time to let his pent-up feelings pour out.

That was years ago and he missed his chance – he has to keep it all inside once again. Roxas let his arms settle around Naminé's waist and let his eyes droop again until his consciousness slipped away.

- x -

_ Naminé was sitting down with her date, Seifer, next to her. She was tired of dancing and tired of having all these girls shoot looks at her. Seifer seemed laid back and annoyed with her. She shrugged and looked for spiky-blond hair in the sea of people. Naminé sat up straight when she saw the boy she was looking for, but immediately sagged down when she saw who he was with. He was with Xion, the girl that always gave her malicious glances. _

_Naminé flared up. Why in the world would Roxas be with her? He knew how much she hated her! But then Naminé realized… Roxas had never been friends with Seifer, in fact, they might have been enemies before she even met Roxas that day. _

_She tried to recall when Roxas mentioned Seifer to her and she remembered a mini Roxas sniffling indignantly,_

"_That Seifer is such a bully! Nami, promise me you'll never talk to him!"_

_Naminé had responded by laughing and hugging the boy tightly. She kissed his cheek and said,_

"_Of course, Roku!"_

_Naminé gasped lightly and how she broke this promise; especially because she was dating him now! She felt a hand on her thigh, slowly moving upwards. She shifted uncomfortably and looked over to see Seifer stroking her leg. She couldn't tell if he was doing this to comfort her or for other reasons… _

"_Hey Babe, what's wrong?"_

"_Nothing…"_

_Seifer shrugged and got closer, keeping his hand on her leg. Naminé was tearing up inside so she decided to let Seifer have his way this once. Naminé looked up to see Roxas staring at her, with… were those eyes pained? Roxas turned his head away and marched off, leaving a confused Xion in the middle of the dance floor. With that look, Naminé didn't realize__… __ just like that – her friendship with Roxas was over. _

- x -

Naminé snapped her eyes open. She just remembered a tidbit of her high school life with Roxas. She remembered the pained look he gave her. But that was nothing compared to the cold look Roxas gave her earlier. She shuddered to think about it. Naminé shifted a bit to found it a bit difficult; she finally noticed her surroundings.

She was clutching Roxas' shirt and her head was tucked under his chin. His arms rested on her waist, keeping her body close to his. If this had been any other guy, she would've freaked – but this was Roxas. She knew Roxas wouldn't do anything but keep her safe.

Being this close to Roxas, Naminé noticed a thin silver chain on his neck. She carefully lifted the chain out from under his shirt and into her view. Naminé's heart stopped. After all these years, even after losing contact – Roxas still wore this necklace. Naminé grew disgusted with herself. The necklace she had meant the world to her and she lost it. She sniffled lightly and this caused Roxas to stir.

- x -

"Nn…"

Roxas groaned and woke up to feel something wet on his shirt. He looked down to see Naminé holding the necklace she'd given him so many years ago. Roxas raised a hand to take it out of hers and slip the necklace back under his shirt. Naminé's face looked ashamed. Roxas did his best to keep himself from blurting '_serves you right'_ and succeeded.

He couldn't hold feelings of malice to his former best friend. Besides… it'd be better for her to figure out what happened to her necklace instead of him telling her. Instead, Roxas shifted again so he wasn't holding Naminé, especially since he was about to ask what happened again. While doing so, Naminé grabbed his arms and whispered,

"No… please. I want to feel safe."

So Roxas replaced his arms where they were and softly asked,

"Are you ready to tell me?"

Naminé froze.

"I…"

"It's fine. Tell me when you're ready to let it all out."

"But –"

"Don't force yourself Nami. It'll come to you."

Naminé deflated. It's been years that since they'd been together and he could still read her mind. A rush of cool air surrounded Naminé as Roxas got out of the bed and went to his closet. He pulled out a large towel and a pair of sweats and a hoodie. He turned to her with these items and said,

"I'm guessing you want a hot shower, now. And these are my older clothes… sorry if they don't fit well, but I'm pretty sure you want _something_ to cover yourself up with."

Naminé blushed but noticed that Roxas kept his gaze on her eyes – never shifting towards anywhere else on her body. He continued,

"In the mean time, I'll be downstairs making dinner. Just holler if you need me alright?"

Naminé nodded feebly and wanted to shout, '_I'll always need you Roxas!', _but decided against it. Something told her that if she said that – it'd set him off. Naminé decided that as soon as she remembered everything, she'd be able to open up to her best friend once again. Naminé sat up, wincing as she felt the bruises on her body. She was suddenly engulfed in a warm hug with Roxas at her ear whispering,

"Take care alright?"

Naminé nodded again, not trusting her voice. With that, Roxas left the room to give Naminé some privacy. She quickly gathered the towel and the offered clothes into her arms and rushed to the bathroom. Roxas was right – she definitely needed a shower. She stripped down and got into the shower, refusing to look at her reflection. The hot water that rained down on her soothed her tense body – but it didn't wash away the fear and trauma she went through.

She shook her head to get rid of the memories – instead, she focused on Roxas. Naminé closed her eyes, her consciousness slowly drifting in and out as the steamy water surrounded her being; her thoughts immersed in high school memories – desperately trying to remember what she had kept it all locked inside her mind about the blond-haired boy that she cared about so much.

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**A/N:** So I hope you figured out that _italics_ are memories/thoughts :P. But yeah... Longest chapter so far... WOOOO! Haha welll... I was gonna make it longer but I have other things planned for the next chapter. I'll update as soon as possible! SORRY TO LET YOU KNOW BUT... **THIS STORY WILL BE ENDING SOON** _[in... 3 to possibly 4 chapters]_- BUT NEVER FEAR, **A SEQUEL **[WILL BE]** HERE!** Haha, I was gonna make the sequel branch off of this because... _Belle of the Boulevard [the song]_ doesn't really.. extend into a happy song so yeah :). However, I HOPE YOU ENJOY. SOME OF THEM LITTLE AMBIGUOUS HOLES HAVE BEEN FILLED! More to come later :). **Please R&R it brings a little bit of joy into my life c:.**


	5. Dry Your Eyes

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

**

* * *

Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

_ Kisses started trailing up Naminé's arms, leading to her neck, connecting to her jaw. Naminé's form stiffened but had no sign of protest. The lips found its way to Naminé's and molded to her mouth. Getting no real response, Seifer pulled away, obviously frustrated. He huffed and sat back in his seat._

_ His girlfriend could be so unresponsive sometimes. Whatever – she was hot. That's all that matters. His eyes scanned the room, picking out all the girls that stole glances at him and shot malicious looks at the blonde beside him. He frowned slightly, all of these girls wanted him, but why was the girl sitting next to him an exception? _

_He shifted his eyes to Naminé, without turning his head. He saw her gaze searching the sea of people before them. His view followed her trail of vision and he when he spotted what his girlfriend was looking for, the hands at his sides balled into fists. He saw the way her eyes would light up when she saw that scrawny blond kid. What did _he_ have that _he_, himself, didn't? He even gave the blonde a god damn diamond necklace! Compared to that other one she always wears? It's like a fucking different universe!_

_He shrugged it off. Sooner or later, the girl next to him would be his. He didn't care how long it took. Obviously, that chicken wuss that was her best friend would've told her nasty things about him. Tch. Right. He'd have to be extra careful. Seifer turned his attention back to Naminé, he saw that her form was now slumped back into her chair, seemingly depressed about something. _

_Seifer placed his hand on her thigh, stroking it gently. This action could definitely be interpreted two different ways; it was all up to her. But this time, Seifer meant it to be in the 'caring boyfriend' type of way. He leaned close to her and whispered,_

"_Hey Babe, what's wrong?"_

_The blonde shook her head and meekly said,_

"_Nothing…"_

_Seifer smirked in his head. This girl was way too nice for her own good. She'd regret it later – for sure. For now, he decided to go along with the nice guy act. He shrugged and leaned back into his seat, his hand still on Naminé's leg. Seifer felt a glare boring into his head; he shifted his glance to meet cold cobalt eyes. Seifer smirked right on back, but he let that smirk fade from his face when he saw the blonde next to him seemingly shatter before him as the wuss turned around and left the dance floor. To win her over into doing anything he asked, he softly said,_

"_Hey. Just go after him. He's your best friend right?"_

_Naminé looked over and gave a shocked expression. She nodded weakly and smiled. She leaned over and gave Seifer a quick peck on the cheek. She whispered her thanks and ran off. Seifer thought to himself,_

"_As long as this may take… it's going to be easier than I thought…"_

- x -

_Naminé's heels clacked against the hard linoleum floor. She was entirely grateful to Seifer. Why couldn't Roxas see past that grudge he held? Seifer isn't as bad as Roxas made him out to be! Naminé sped up to find her best friend. The two necklaces she wore clashed against each other while their owner was running through the hallway. _

"_Where could he have gone?"_

_Naminé whispered to herself. She thought of all the places that he could've gone. Her eyes lit up when she saw a lone figure, pushing the door to walk outside. Naminé quickly sped after the figure and called out,_

"_Roxas! Wait!"_

- x -

_A soprano voice stopped Roxas in his tracks. Why would she call out to him? Hadn't she already become independent from him? For God sake… she had a boyfriend! Why would she need him too? _

_Roxas continued walking, ignoring the rough breathing coming from behind him. He was finally halted when a hand shot out and caught his wrist. He tried breaking free but the grip was surprisingly strong. Roxas finally stopped and turned around. He saw Naminé, the beautiful blonde that made his heart stop every time he looked at her. She was bent over, one hand on her knee, the other on his wrist. She was trying to catch her breath. _

_Roxas bit back a laugh. Naminé had always hated physical activity, why would she go such lengths for him? Roxas broke out of his thoughts when a weak voice asked,_

"_Roxas… why are you running from me?"_

_The question stumped him. He didn't mean to 'run away' from Naminé per se… he was just giving her space. Who needs a guy best friend when you have a boyfriend?_

"_I'm not. I'm giving you space. You don't need me anymore."_

"_That's not true!"_

_Roxas raised his eyebrows. Truly curious, he asked,_

"_Really now?"_

"_Yes! Really!"_

_Naminé sounded extremely exasperated. _

"_Care to elaborate?"_

_Roxas let sarcasm drip into his tone. He sincerely doubted that Naminé truly needed him. Besides – every moment that she's with Seifer, kills him a bit inside. She forgot her promise. Least to say, he's not angry just because of that. It's because that it was an important promise – regardless of the age they made the promise at. Seifer really was up to no good. He saw through the 'nice guy' act Seifer put up for Naminé, and Roxas couldn't stand it. Naminé's voice broke his train of thought,_

"_Well first of all, you're my best friend. Second of all, why wouldn't I need you anymore?"_

_Roxas scoffed before retorting,_

"_Well, you kind of have a _boyfriend_ now."_

"_So?"_

"_All the stuff that we do? You can do with _**him**._"_

_Naminé was speechless and put her head down._

_Roxas muttered lowly,_

"_Not that he'd do any of that for you anyway…"_

_Naminé's head snapped up and glared at Roxas._

"_Why do _**hate**_ Seifer so much anyway? He's not that bad! He's nice, fun, caring –"_

_Roxas let out a bellowing laugh. Ha, Seifer, nice? As if._

"_Sorry to break it to you Nami, _**he** _just wants to get into a _**girl's pants.**_"_

_A slap echoed across the empty night._

_ Roxas was stunned. Had Naminé just hit him? Roxas didn't even bring his hand up to his face – the cold air numbed the stinging pain. A wavering broken voice shouted out,_

"_Roxas! Why are you being like this? You're my best friend! I-I thought you'd be happy for me! I finally found someone that I like and likes me back! Plus, he cares for me too! He even let me come find you! "_

"_Ha, he _**let**_ you? What are you, some kind of _**pet**_? I bet as soon as we leave for college, he'll treat you like _**dirt**_."_

"_Roxas! Why can't… why can't you look past your childish grudge?"_

_Oh, so _he_ was childish now? Great. Roxas eyed the necklaces on Naminé's neck. The necklace that he had given her in middle school paled in comparison to the one Seifer gave her recently – to 'prove his love' for her or something fake like that. Roxas let out a wry chuckle. She really couldn't see past Seifer's fake exterior. Too bad she also couldn't see past his as well. _

"_So, if I'm so childish, why are you still wearing that _**dinky **_piece of metal I gave you years ago?"_

- x -

_"So if I'm so childish, why are you still wearing that _**dinky**_ piece of metal I gave you years ago?"_

_That statement hurt Naminé. A lot. But right now, Naminé was too angry to register what she was doing. Her hand shot up to her throat and tore the old necklace off of her neck –breaking the looped chain easily. She hardly noticed Roxas shocked expression._

_Naminé promptly threw the broken necklace at the boy who had given it to her. The necklace made a soft clinking noise as it landed on the pavement before Roxas' shoes. Tears were streaming down Naminé's face._

"_There! You happy? You can have that dinky piece of metal back because I obviously '_don't need you anymore_'! Roxas Hikari, I never want to see your face again! I don't want you back in my life, and I'm definitely forgetting everything we've ever done with each other!"_

_With that, Naminé turned on her heel and started walking back into the building. Her heart grew hollower as she heard no sounds of movement to stop her from her best friend. As she thought about it, they probably weren't best friends anymore – actually, they probably weren't even _**friends**_ anymore. _

_Naminé sobbed silently on her way back. She tripped on a bump in the sidewalk and fell to the ground. She cried even harder; not because of pain, because there's no one there to help her get back on her feet anymore. Naminé tore the silver heels off of her feet; they could no longer support her. _

_Naminé entered the dance room once again, to find Seifer dutifully awaiting her return. She completely missed the group of girls that just left her boyfriend, giggling non-stop. Seifer turned his attention to the grief-stricken blonde. He didn't even bother asking what happened. Naminé whispered,_

"_Please… take me home."_

_Seifer nodded and gathered the broken girl into his arms. _

_ Naminé leaned into Seifer as they walked out into the parking lot. The blond boy that she just had an argument was nowhere to be seen. A tiny built of guilt resonated through her heart, but it was immediately burnt away by the rage inside her._

_ Naminé got inside Seifer's car, she laid her head back and closed her eyes – letting stray tears escape down her cheeks. Her neck felt oddly light and cold. _

- x -

_Roxas was too stunned to move after Naminé's outburst. After she had run away from him, Roxas stared at the broken necklace at his feet for a good 10 minutes. He finally mustered up the courage to bend down and pick up the piece of metal. Roxas gently gathered the broken chained loops and the metal heart charm. He stared at the '_**dinky**_' necklace. He smiled bitterly. He just drove away his best friend. Plus, she never wanted to see his face again. _

"_Whatever. Just another item to add to the pile of things that will never be given to Naminé."_

_Roxas thought wryly to himself. He stared at the delicate necklace in his open palm. He let his fingers enclose the pure metal before the salty drops from his eyes could taint it.

* * *

_

**A/N:** Wai... hullo thar. I didn't expect to update this soon... Guess stress has a way of making me update :)... though the next chapter won't be for a while - unless I get another burst of inspiration... ANYWAY. This was a broken off of the actual chapter I wanted to do - but I think it turned out nicely... plus, if I added this to the other chapter - it'd be HUGEEEE. Plus, props to you if you catch my symbolism in this chapter and the last - there was a repeated one :).

OH SNAPS? WHAT'S THIS? SEIFER POV-ISH? WHOAA DEREEE. Haha [coughforeshadowingcough]

Seeee... now don't hate on Roxas that much. He don't deserve it D:!

By the way - the 3rd paragraph - the ambiguity of the 'he' is intended :)

**Please R&R it makes me very happy :)**

**Major Thanks to Those Who Review Err'time :D!  
**


	6. Fall Apart

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

**

* * *

Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

Naminé's eyes snapped open to the familiar sound of water hitting the porcelain tile. She winced at the scalding hot water as it burned her skin. Deciding to get out of the shower, Naminé reached for the handle of the shower. She gasped at the feeling of the handle of against her palm and choked on the suffocating steam; she quickly turned the water supply off and wrapped the big towel around her body.

Naminé hastily pushed the shower door open and stumbled out. The cool air brushed against her skin, sending chills through her body. She leaned against the wall facing the full length mirror hanging on the door. Naminé sees the marks that _he_ left on her. Each one seemed to scream '_I told you so.' _at her.

A knock on the door made Naminé jump a little. A soft voice asked,

"Nam? You okay in there? You've been in there for a really... long time…"

Naminé almost sighed in relief to find that it was just Roxas. She froze again. It was Roxas. She had just remembered every single word she'd said to him that night. The night when everything came crashing down for her. When that memory came back, the previous memories flooded her mind as well. Feeling overwhelmed, tears spilled over her already wet face.

"…Nami? Nami… answer me… Please… You're killing me out here."

Naminé vaguely thought: _If I'm killing you now… what was I doing to you back when I said all those things to you?_

Roxas' voice came again with more urgency.

"Nams. If you don't answer me in five seconds, I'm gonna come in there…"

Naminé's rational brain started functioning and hastily called out,

"Wait, no! Just… just give me a second…"

She could almost hear the sigh of relief from Roxas through the door. Naminé almost giggled, she could imagine the expression on his face. The thought quickly died when she realized… she probably couldn't imagine it. She doesn't even know how much Roxas could've changed when they've been separated for so long. Roxas muffled voice broke through her thoughts,

"And Nams… Your parents are on the phone… they… they want to talk to you about something – they wouldn't tell me what."

Naminé's breath caught in her throat. She knew exactly what her parents wanted to know about. A silence hung thickly in the bathroom like the hot steam that refused to go away. Roxas' inquisitive voice came again.

"Nami?"

"Y-yeah…I- I'll be out in a sec. Tell them that I'm still in the shower… I don't… I don't want to talk to them just yet."

Roxas said nothing in return. Instead, she heard his low muffled talking, his footsteps walking away from the door.

Naminé sighed heavily and looked at herself in the mirror again. She slowly pulled herself up off the floor; she had to get changed and go talk to Roxas – about everything. Naminé quickly dried herself off – occasionally wincing when she brushed past a bruise too roughly. When Naminé had all her undergarments on, she carefully lifted the soft hoodie from the counter top and slipped it over her tiny body.

The article of clothing was too big for her, but it felt warm and comforting. She soon realized – this was Roxas' high school soccer sweater – one that she borrowed all the time. The words 'Hikari' were stretched across the back of the hoodie, the number 13 under it. Naminé quickly pulled on the baggy sweatpants and rolled them several times. She cautiously cracked open the door and peeked out.

On the bed, she saw Roxas sprawled out. One arm covering his eyes, the other laying across this stomach; he looked so peaceful… compared to the Roxas she last saw. Naminé silently walked over and looked at the man sleeping in front of her. As she got closer, she saw that his mouth was slightly open. She smiled; it was a habit of his, even as a little kid. Naminé gently used her finger to push Roxas' mouth closed. A few water droplets from her hair fell onto Roxas' tan skin – Naminé didn't realize that this caused him to wake.

- x -

_Roxas lay on his bed, arm thrown over his eyes, the other slung across his stomach. He didn't know what to do with himself anymore. It was a Saturday night. A week since _that_ happened. Usually, he'd be out… hanging with – Naminé. No, he didn't want to think about it. She didn't want anything to do with him anymore; he might as well stay away._

_ He was a bit peeved when he was about to call Axel to hang out with him – only find that Naminé called Axel first, asking him to help her with something. Axel offered to find out what Naminé's been up to ever since the 'break off'. Instead of being grateful, Roxas blew off on him – saying that it sounded like they were together. Roxas quickly apologized and just asked Axel to find out what Naminé needed him for. Axel silently agreed and hung up. _

_ Now, Roxas was wasting away on his bed, waiting for a phone call. His phone vibrated suddenly, causing the blond to jump up and snatch his phone off of the nightstand. He flipped his phone open without a second though and urgently said,_

"_Hello?"_

"_Well aren't you a bit impatient?"_

_Roxas sighed in relief, it was Axel. Simultaneously, Roxas stiffened. He remembered why Axel called._

"_Helloo?"_

"_Yeah… I'm still here. Did you find out what she wanted?"_

"_Yeah but… I think I should show rather than tell you."_

"_But –"_

"_No buts. I'm already outside your door."_

_Roxas dropped his phone in shock and ran to open the front door of his house. Sure enough, there he found Axel standing with his phone still held up against his ear and… something else in his other hand; Roxas couldn't tell what it was but he pulled Axel into the house anyway. The redhead shook his spiky hair and muttered something along the lines of_

"_What, no 'hi' for your best buddy?"_

_Roxas shrugged it off and led Axel into the kitchen. As they were walking towards the, Roxas started asking,_

"_So… what is that you want to show me?"_

_Axel silently held out the other object in his hand. Roxas stared at it, uncomprehending. _

_Axel sighed exasperatedly and mumbled,_

"_Jeez. Talk about blank with a capital 'B'."_

_Roxas glowered at his friend and took the object from Axel's hands. It was a tin box; Roxas shook the tiny object and heard some shuffling inside of it. _

"_You're supposed to open it, idiot."_

_Roxas hit Axel on the shoulder but opened the box anyway. His eyes widened at the contents. _

_The box held all of the photos of Naminé and him – ever since they were children. Roxas gently took one out and examined it. His finger brushed over the photographed Naminé. Why did _he_ have to mess things up? Why couldn't _he _control his feelings better? Roxas shook his head and asked,_

"_So why did you bring me this?"_

"…_Obviously this box isn't yours."_

"_Well, yeah."_

"_It's Naminé's…"_

_Roxas froze at the name._

"_And… she… she wanted me to burn these pictures. She wanted me to burn them until there was nothing left."_

_Roxas let the metal box clatter to the floor, splaying the photographs all over the wooden floor. The metal had gotten 10 times colder. Roxas tried to speak but no words came out. Instead, Roxas turned on his heel and left the mess he just made, making his way to his room; not noticing the tear-stained, crumpled note hidden beneath the photos. Roxas vaguely heard Axel calling out to him but the blond ignored him. He entered his room and slammed the door shut and face planted his bed. He wasn't going to move for a while._

_ While Roxas had left in silent rage and depression, he hadn't heard Axel whisper,_

"_She called me over to burn the pictures because she couldn't do it herself… She was crying when she handed the photos to me."_

- x -

Roxas cracked his eyes open; something wet and cold landed on his arm. That dream… he hadn't dreamt so much about Naminé since he was at that age… He groaned slightly when he found that his arms were stiff from their position. Who knew that a slight nap could do that?

Roxas sat up slowly to find a pale blonde sitting next to his bed, head down and hands in her lap. Clear liquid was dripping from her face to her hands; he couldn't tell if it was water from her hair or tears. Roxas opened his mouth to speak but in the same moment, the flaxen blonde snapped her head up and smiled. She murmured softly,

"Let's go eat dinner, hmm bed-head?"

Roxas was suddenly pulled out of his bed by his wrist and led down to his own kitchen.

He was too stunned to say a word. Naminé was acting like her old self, the girl that was his best friend. A soft voice from behind him ordered,

"Sit."

Roxas complied. He went and sat down at the dinner table and watched Naminé from behind. He had already prepared the dinner; he just couldn't finish setting up the table because Naminé's parents called. They sounded extremely desperate… They said that they'd call back soon, after Naminé was out of the shower. Roxas made his mind up to ask about it later, right now, he had his best friend back.

Roxas smiled to himself; the grin grew wider when he realized that he had given Naminé his old soccer sweater. Roxas mustered up some courage to say something – after all, Naminé was acting 'normal' again, right? With a mischievous smirk on his face, he called out,

"Hey Nams. You look like my girlfriend in that sweater."

Roxas tried his best to stifle his laughter when he heard the clatter of a fork on the counter top. He could see Naminé's ears go from pink to a nice shade of crimson.

- x -

_G-g-girlfriend!, _Naminé thought to herself.

Naminé dropped the fork she just picked up. She felt all the blood in her body rush up to her face. Did _Roxas_ really just say that? Naminé hastily picked up the discarded fork and whipped around. She stomped towards the dinner table with the plates of noodles. She let Roxas' plate drop in front of him while she set hers down silently.

Naminé tossed a fork to Roxas and purposefully stabbed her pile of noodles. From the corner of her eye, she could see a smirk tugging on Roxas' lips; his eyes showing the laughter he was trying to keep to himself. The sight of Roxas' happy face contrasted deeply from the sullen look she'd left him with; Roxas' happiness radiated towards her and caused a smile to creep onto her face.

- x -

Roxas was just about to burst with happiness. Not only had he made a cheeky comment towards his best friend, he actually made her smile. Feeling like a champ, Roxas went ahead and made another comment.

"Sooo Nams… your silence tells me something about that girlfriend comment…"

A smirk played on Roxas' lips as he watched the poor blonde in front of him nearly choke on her noodles.

"W-what does my silence tell you?"

Roxas smirk widened. He leaned back in his seat and threw his arms behind his head, making a head rest out of his hands.

"Gee, I dunno Nami. What do you think?"

Roxas watched as Naminé fidgeted in her seat. Naminé opened her mouth to speak but the shrill sound of the phone ringing cut her off. Roxas immediately pushed his chair back and went to take the call.

- x -

Naminé jumped slightly when the phone started to ring. She hadn't been expecting that. She watched sadly when Roxas stood up and left the room to get the phone. She finally felt like they were bonding again… the only thing was… she had yet to spill the beans about everything.

Naminé sighed deeply and stood up. She gathered the plates and the forks from the table and set them in the fridge – they could always eat later. From the kitchen, Naminé found her way into the living room and laid down on the couch, waiting for Roxas' return.

- x -

"Sorry to bother you like this Roxas… really. We're just worried about our little girl."

"No it's fine Mrs. Shizuki, I understand."

Roxas scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He hadn't talked with Naminé's parents in years, especially her mom.

"No need to be so formal with me Roxas, just call me Mama Tifa, just like old times huh? Anyway… is Naminé done with her shower?"

"Haha, alright, but um… let me check…"

Roxas knew very well that Naminé was done with her shower; they were eating dinner just seconds ago! Roxas walked into the kitchen and saw that Naminé was gone. He looked into the living room and saw Naminé leaning against the arm of the couch, staring into space.

When she heard him enter the room, her head snapped towards him and she gave him a small smile. The smile faded as soon as she saw that he was still on the phone – realization washing over her. Roxas mouthed to her,

"Parents?"

Naminé shook her head violently. Roxas was slightly confused and mouthed again,

"Will you tell me later?"

Naminé stared at him for a bit and hesitantly nodded. Roxas turned back to the phone and awkwardly explained,

"Um… I think she's taking a nap actually… I really don't want to wake her… I'm sorry Mrs. Shizuki – err… Mama Tifa…"

The woman on the phone laughed gently.

"No need to lie to me Roxas. I can tell when she doesn't want to talk to me. Anyhow… Roxas, please take care of her. I'm terribly sorry for what she did you years ago and then just stumbles upon you like this, but please protect her? I think you're the only one she'll open up to right now."

Roxas was a bit shocked from Tifa's apology but agreed nonetheless.

"No problem, I'll protect her with my life."

Tifa laughed again,

"That sounds more like the little kiddie Roxie I first met! Oh, and Roxas, one more thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you please take her home? When she's ready at least?"

"Of course… but you still won't tell me what you need to say to her? I can relay the message to her…"

"I'm sorry Roxas, but it's a personal matter. Besides… it'd be better if you heard it from her. Anyway, thank you so much Roxas. Cloud and I can never thank you enough. Take care!"

"You too."

Roxas hung up and laughed quietly to himself. He forgot how much he loved Naminé's family. Roxas set the phone down and went towards the living room. He found Naminé holding her legs close to her body, resting against the arm of the couch. Roxas walked over and plopped himself down right next to her.

- x -

Naminé popped out of her position, startled by Roxas. She turned her head towards him and he cracked a goofy smile. Naminé giggled and leaned against Roxas' shoulder; she could feel the even breaths that he took. She tensed quickly when she felt Roxas shift uncomfortably and started to speak quietly.

"So… your mom says that it's fine if you don't want to talk to her – "

Naminé relaxed slightly.

"But she says she also wants me to send you home."

Naminé tensed immediately again.

"No."

"Would you mind telling me why your mom sounded so desperate to reach you? You even have your dad worried…"

Naminé stayed silent, the guilt in her body growing.

"C'mon Nams. You have to open up to me, I want to help you! Besides, your mom said that I have to take care of you and you're making it awfully hard right now."

The guilt in Naminé's body was reaching its breaking point.

"Please Nami. Let me help…"

Naminé finally broke,

"God damn it, Roxas! Why are you being this nice to me? I-I treated you like shit a-a-and I cursed at you and left you in raging fury! How… how can you still treat me this way? W-why are you –?"

Naminé was silenced when she felt Roxas' finger wipe a tear away from her face. She hadn't even realized she started crying. Naminé turned her face to Roxas and gazed into his eyes, he softly explained,

"Because Naminé, you're still my best friend. I don't care if you never wanted to see my face again – obviously you're looking at me now right? Anyway, I don't care if you treated me like shit. Besides… I deserved that. I should've trusted you more."

"No. Nononono… I-I-I should've trusted _you_ more. You were right about Seifer… He—"

Roxas eyes immediately froze over.

"What did he do?" Roxas seethed.

Naminé hiccupped a few times and almost inaudibly whispered,

"He almost… he almost…"

- x -

The last few words of her sentence trailed off but Roxas already knew. He pulled the shaking blonde into his arms and tucked her head under his chin. He felt her tiny arms wrap around his torso and clutch his shirt in a death-grip.

Roxas completely ignored at how rapidly his shirt became wet, he was more focused on controlling his rage. That bastard Seifer… Roxas rubbed soothing circles in the sobbing blonde's back and stroked her hair. It calmed her down last time. Then Roxas realized something,

"Nami… you said… 'almost', what do you mean by 'almost'?"

The blonde in his arms visibly tensed up. She whispered while hiccuping,

"I really mean… almost… He…he got me drunk a-and t-took me back h-home but h-he followed me inside and… he f-forced me into my r-room… H-he p-pinned me to t-the b-b-bed and… h-he al-already t-tore my c-clothes off… t-t-that's why m-my clothes were r-r-ripped a-and he already d-did s-some things to me… I a-asked him to s-stop and st-started screaming, but… he j-just b-beat me until I was s-silent… "

Roxas felt the grip on his shirt tighten even more. Naminé's body shook so violently that he felt like she was going to shatter; she was falling apart, and he didn't know how to pick up the pieces. To make it worse, Roxas had an urgent question. He sincerely didn't want to ask, but he had to know. As the words left his mouth, he felt disgusted.

"…What made him stop?"

"M-my p-parents called a-and he got scared and r-ran."

Roxas silently thanked Tifa for her intrusion a thousand times over. Naminé's sniffles grew quieter but the shaking persisted. Her cracked voice asked,

"Roxas… what… what am I going to do?"

Roxas was silent. He had no idea what to say. Naminé poked her head out from under his chin and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Please… Roxas… What am I going to do?"

- x -

Naminé was scared as to why Roxas wasn't answering her. Was he disgusted with her? Did he feel like he couldn't trust her anymore? Fear grew inside Naminé's body when Roxas continued his silence. She was reaching her breaking point when Roxas shifted one of his hands.

One of Roxas' hands left its place on her back and went up to his own neck. He tugged on the silver chain and brought out the childhood necklace. Roxas set his forehead on her own and silently vowed,

"Well I know what I'm going to do and what I'm not going to do."

Naminé froze at those words; Roxas definitely didn't want anything to do with her now. She was sure of it. She was about to get up and leave, to stop bothering him, when he caught her arm and pulled her back down into his arms. Naminé gave him a bewildered expression. He simply stated,

"I'm not finished yet. What I'm going to do is… I'm going to stay with you until you're stable again… but what I'm not going to do… is let anyone hurt you again. I promise that on this necklace… you're still my best friend Nams. Nothing can change that."

Naminé felt her heart swell as she buried her face into Roxas' damp shirt. She suddenly had an idea.

"Roxas… do you still have… my necklace?"

- x -

Roxas gave Naminé a wary glance. Had she just asked that question? Roxas haltingly inquired,

"Nams… do you really want that back?"

Naminé gave the tiniest smile and lightly joked,

"What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't take that back from you? Besides, it's mine anyway!"

Roxas chuckled softly and nodded. Roxas stood up, taking Naminé with him. He walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinet that held the small box. He removed the box and took off the lid; gingerly lifting the broken necklace out. Embarrassed, Roxas explained,

"I never had the chance to fix it… I mean, it really seemed like you never wanted this back…"

Naminé sheepishly took it from his fingers and mumbled,

"Not your fault… I just need to find a new chain for this though…"

"Oh, I actually have a spare one in my room, do you want that one?"

The small blonde nodded her head rigorously.

Roxas shook his head at the blonde's enthusiasm and tugged her along to his room to retrieve the chain. When they got there, Roxas started rummaging through his room to find said chain… after shuffling a few papers; a quiet voice broke the silence,

"Roxas… can… you not send me home for another few days?"

Roxas found the thin string of metal and turned to give Naminé a questioning look.

"I… I don't feel safe there. Before… _he _ran… he growled me… he said something like, 'I'm not finished with you' or something… I… I can't go back there. Not yet."

Roxas' eyes widened and nodded silently. He walked over to the trembling blonde and took the necklace out of her clammy hands. He laced the new chain through the charm and looped it around Naminé's neck. Roxas smiled and murmured,

"Stay as long as you want. I'm sending you home only when you're ready."

- x -

Naminé sniffled and placed her hand over her neck, whispering,

"Thank you, Roxas…"

She was suddenly overcome with drowsiness. She let out a huge yawn and hurriedly tried to cover it with her hands. Roxas chuckled lightly and asked,

"Sleepy?"

Naminé could only nod and leaned on Roxas and childishly demanded,

"Carry me."

Light laughter filled her ears as her feet suddenly left the floor. Naminé quickly grasped Roxas' neck, in fear of falling. He was freaking carrying her bridal style!

"I'm not gonna drop you, princess." Roxas cooed in her ear.

Naminé shivered, but gently slapped Roxas on the shoulder. As he made his way to leave the room, Naminé sleepily asked,

"Where are you taking me?"

"Uh… to the guest room?"

"Nooo. I want to sleep in your room…" Naminé whined.

- x -

Roxas stopped in his tracks and asked,

"Are you sure?"

Naminé nodded seriously, and silently added,

"I don't want to feel alone again…"

Roxas shrugged and walked back to his room and set her down on the bed. As he turned to walk away, Naminé grabbed his wrist and asked urgently,

"Now where are _you_ going?"

"…To the guest room?"

Roxas eyebrows rose as Naminé shook her head and tugged on his arm.

"You want me… to sleep here?"

A nod.

"…Sleep here. On my bed. With you?"

Another nod.

"…Are you sure?"

Naminé pulled hard on Roxas arm and got him onto his bed.

"Yes."

Roxas began to speak but Naminé clasped her hand over his mouth.

"I want you to stay here because… I'm afraid to have another nightmare… and wake up to find you gone. I know I'm a crybaby but… please? I don't want to fall apart again…"

Shocked, Roxas nodded slowly and lay down on the bed. Naminé whispered,

"Thank you…"

With that, she drifted off to sleep, cuddled close to Roxas' side.

Roxas watched the rise and fall of his best friend's shoulders. He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around the sleeping blonde. He chuckled lightly and brushed some hair out of Naminé's face.

"Silly girl… you can still get me to do anything can't you?"

Roxas kissed his best friend's forehead before he lost consciousness too.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm so sorry this took so long! It's also my longest chapter but... still! I'm lame-sauce. I had a block while writing this... It's not a good combo to listen to _California Gurls_ & _Belle of the Boulevard_ while writing this... c:. Anyway, this was a real filler and it sucks. It seems so choppy to me. I've become aware about how many 'she's & 'he's I use :(. And... this is the first time when I have NO idea how to end a chapter...

Plus, the 'falling apart' scene... no. just no. it feels so emptyy. I may come back and re-edit this later... This was NOT written in one sitting.. But I am sincerely sorry that this took so long. I hadn't gone to sleep before 1 am the past week x.x.

ALSOOO. For those that like to look ahead... I got some foreshadowing goin' on o3o. And...

OHMEHGAWDWTFTHERE'SONLY2CHAPTERSLEFTWUTT!

Anywho...

Hope you enjoyed!

**Please R&R it makes my day! :)**

_(P.S. Next update goal: Hopefully by my bday c:. Don't worry, it's not too far away ;D)_**  
**


	7. Life is Always Hard

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

**

* * *

Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

Roxas groaned silently as he felt cramps across his body. He slowly lifted his eyelids and found himself face-to-face with a blonde-haired female. A slight blush spread over his cheeks as he took in his surroundings. Roxas' arms encircled the sleeping angel's waist, bringing her body closer to his while _her_ arms were wrapped around his neck, making their foreheads touch.

Roxas swore silently in his head, he thought he'd gotten over his hormones already… obviously the female in his arms proved him wrong – again. This happened so many times when they were in high school that it wasn't even funny. Naminé would just fall asleep next to him and he just couldn't resist putting his arms around her.

Roxas could only formulate two words for his predicament: _This sucks._ He sighed lightly and jostled the sleeping blonde in his arms, trying to wake her. Roxas watched as Naminé wrinkled her nose adorably but then relaxed her face again; how does she keep sleeping? Roxas chuckled mutely and thought about the other ways to wake this girl up.

After pondering for a few seconds, Roxas lifted his face away from hers and lifted up his hand, positioning his fingers for the perfect flick on the forehead – just like in middle school. Roxas let a smirk wheedle its way onto his face as he let his finger forward to meet with Naminé's skull. Instead of the reaction he was expecting – which was her squirming uncomfortably and then waking up, smacking him on the arm – Naminé kicked him, hard, in the shins. Surprised, Roxas rolled off the bed with a muffled _thump._

"Ow…"

"That's what you get, you bitch…"

Roxas looked up from massaging his shins and saw a disheveled looking Naminé glaring at him with fatigue-filled eyes. Roxas eyes were practically shining with mischievousness, he let out,

"I didn't know you swore, Nami."

Naminé mockingly said that back to him and grabbed the blankets to hide under their warmth again. Instead of letting her sleep, Roxas decided to have some fun; after all, that's what he planned for today. Roxas ignored the throbbing pain in his legs and knelt beside the bed, slowly reaching for the ends of the blanket, ready to pull them all off.

- x -

Naminé was finally under the warmth of the covers again. She hadn't slept so well in… forever really. It was so weird, she'd have her best naps when Roxas was with her, maybe it was the best friend thing, nostalgia. The only problem was that the spiky-haired male always had the weirdest ways of waking her up… his favorite being flicking her on the forehead… Seriously, what was his problem?

Just as Naminé was thinking about Roxas' 'problem', a rush of cool air brushed against her exposed skin. Shivering violently, she shrank back into Roxas' hoodie and sweats, like a turtle. Naminé felt weight shift around on the bed until it was right next to her arm; she quickly turned over, determined to ignore the other blond. In a split second, the weight next to her started bouncing her up and down.

"_He can't possibly be trying to play 'popcorn' with me now… can he?"_

After a few more minutes of bed-bouncing, Naminé finally had enough. She snapped from her position and reached for Roxas' collar. Instead of meeting contact with the fabric she lunged for, her arm was caught by warm hands and was pulled up into a sitting position. Naminé finally cracked open her eyes to give Roxas a menacing scowl, only to find his face closer than she imagined. Roxas gave her a smirk and breathed,

"Morning, _bed-head._"

Naminé flushed and quickly retorted,

"You have **morning breath**, _bed-head."_

Roxas immediately jumped off the bed and ran towards to the bathroom. Knowing that she won this battle, Naminé smiled triumphantly and finally climbed out of bed. She knew Roxas couldn't stand having bad breath, just one of his random OCD's.

Naminé stretched a bit and walked around Roxas' room again, she stopped in front of a mirror and adjusted her necklace. Naminé's fingers froze around the necklace bob and let a smile creep onto her face; she had her necklace back. She started thinking about what had happened in the past few days… all the way back when Roxas found her horribly drunk in that bar. Then shock ran across Naminé's face; her car was still there.

Frantically, Naminé pushed Roxas' bathroom door open and was about to tell Roxas about her car when she abruptly paused at the scene in front of her. Roxas was brushing his teeth vigorously, toothpaste foaming from his mouth, and a bottle of mouth wash in hand. He looked over at her with a bewildered expression; giving him the look of an innocent puppy that just found out his bone had been moved.

Naminé doubled over in laughter, eventually falling to the ground. In her hysteria, she could distantly hear sounds of someone spitting and gurgling. She tried looking through her eyes, but they were filled with tears from laughing so much.

Naminé felt herself being picked up; she wiped her wet eyes and saw Roxas carrying her down the stairs. Naminé opened her mouth to speak but Roxas just blew a gust of minty breath in her face. She huffed angrily and looked away, staying silent for the rest of the stair steps. As they entered the kitchen, Naminé stole a peek at Roxas. She found a small smile playing on his lips and she smiled to herself; they were starting to make amends. As they drew nearer to the dining table, Naminé realized something.

With that, she jumped (well more like tried to jump) out of Roxas' arms and landed on the floor with a light _thud_. Looking surprised, Roxas gave her a questioning look. Naminé trudged over and gave him a peck on the cheek. She winked playfully and said,

"You aren't the only one with morning breath y'know…"

- x -

Roxas' hand flew up to his cheek after he made sure Naminé was out of sight. All the blood in his body seemed to pool into that one area where Naminé's lips touched him. Sighing exasperatedly, a frustrated Roxas ran a hand through his hair. That woman was going to drive him crazy.

Roxas shook his head and walked over to the thermometer on the wall, it felt particularly hot today… The instrument on the wall read 75 degrees Fahrenheit; no wonder. Roxas shrugged and pulled his shirt off, launching it across the room onto the couch in the living room.

Just as Roxas turned around to start preparing breakfast, he heard a certain someone fall down the stairs. Swiveling on his heel, Roxas immediately rushed to the site of the fall, with all those bruises Naminé already had, that tumble down the stairs couldn't have helped.

- x -

Naminé sat on the ground, rubbing the back of her head. Karma definitely sucked. She slowly stood up, using the stair railing as support; her body groaned in protest as she straightened up. Sleeping in the same bed as Roxas wasn't the brightest idea she had, but it got her some sleep so she didn't mind.

The subconscious thought of her and Roxas sharing the same bed made Naminé flush. They were grown up now, to anyone else, they'd look like _more_ than just best friends… she shook her head violently; she refused to think of that. However, it was too late. Naminé's thoughts wandered off until it came to a stop at a certain question: _Does Roxas have a girlfriend?_ From there, more thoughts followed: _What if I'm a nuisance right now? Am I a bother to him? _

So lost in her thoughts, Naminé didn't even notice said blond hastily walk over to her. The flaxen blonde muttered wryly to herself,

"Is life always hard?"

"It is if you're always so clumsy."

Naminé jumped at the sudden voice, momentarily losing her balance. Instead of falling face-first onto the wooden floor, an arm held her up. A low voice chuckled,

"You're such a klutz."

Naminé shrugged off Roxas' grasp and shuffled past him, muttering in her embarrassment. Much to her dismay, she tripped on her own feet, causing Roxas to catch her once more. Turning bright pink, Naminé murmured a silent thanks and walked into the kitchen, leaving Roxas with his hand still raised in mid-air, holding the space where her arm used to be.

- x -

Roxas couldn't help but feel his heart sink when Naminé brushed past him. With a suppressed sigh, he followed her soft foot steps into the kitchen. When did things become so complicated? Immersed in his thoughts, Roxas didn't notice that Naminé stopped dead in her tracks ahead of him, leading him to bump into her roughly.

Not seeming to care, Naminé turned on her heel to face him. She didn't look him in the face, but she spoke loud enough for him to hear,

"Roxas… my car is still at the bar."

Roxas nearly sighed with relief internally. Is that what she was worried about? Roxas chuckled and suggested,

"Well, we can go get it now. We'll take the bus and grab some coffee along the way. How's that sound?"

Hesitation was clear on Naminé's face. She started chewing her lip, if Roxas were still a teenage boy, he wouldn't be able to steer his eyes away from the blonde's mouth. Roxas snapped out of his flashback to his teenage years when Naminé spoke quietly,

"But… what am I going to wear? I mean, it's so hot outside right now… And, I don't really… want to go back to my house at the moment…"

Roxas took her hand and proceeded to his room. After motioning for Naminé to sit on his bed, Roxas walked into his closet thoughtfully. Roxas pulled out one of his smaller black and white plaid button-ups and a middle school t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. He stepped back into his room and tossed the clothes towards Naminé who seemed to be spacing out. He rubbed the back of his head and admitted,

"Those are the smallest clothes I have… But, I guess you also want to keep those… markings covered up, right?"

He stared at the blonde female who was sitting on his bed in silence. He was seriously beginning to worry. He made his way to his bed and eased himself next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and tucking her into the crook of his neck. Roxas murmured gently,

"Hey… it's alright. Life is always hard."

No response.

Roxas shrugged, he rubbed Naminé's pale shoulder one last time before he got up from the bed and walked towards the door. He tilted his head in her direction and said,

"I'll wait downstairs and try and find some of my mom's shoes for you. Change and come down whenever you're ready."

With that, Roxas stepped out of the room and shut the door with a muffled click, not seeing the blonde female place a hand where his once was.

- x -

Naminé sat with her legs under her on Roxas' bed, hands clutching the old fabric between her fingers. Her earlier worries were beginning to amplify with every bit of help Roxas gave her. His soothing words did the exact opposite; it felt like needles were pricking every inch of her body.

Sighing, Naminé got up slowly and headed towards the bathroom and locked the door behind her. As she pulled the comfy hoodie off, she couldn't stop her eyes from drifting over to the mirror. Each dark bruise stood out prominently on her alabaster skin. When she felt her eyes water, she quickly averted her gaze to the clothing in her hands. She hastily slipped on the cool fabric and hurriedly left the bathroom to find Roxas.

Naminé walked into the kitchen to find Roxas leaning against the wall with a pair of shoes next to him. His eyes were glazed over, like he was thinking about something. She flushed when she noticed that Roxas was shirtless.

"_When did that happen?" _she thought to herself.

Willing her blush to go away, Naminé shuffled next to him, making her presence known. Roxas snapped out of his daze and offered her a small smile, he said,

"Here, put these shoes on and wait for me while I go change. I'll be right back; we'll get your car afterwards."

Roxas ruffled Naminé's hair up before he trotted away towards his room. Naminé sighed heavily and whispered to herself,

"Am I really causing this much trouble for him?"

- x -

Roxas was thoroughly confused as to why Naminé was acting the way she was now. He briskly went into his closet again and pulled out a white button down with vertical baby blue stripes and a white V-neck. He walked out of his closet and threw the clothes onto the bed and went over to his drawers, raking through his shorts. He finally decided on tan cargo shorts and threw those on the bed as well.

Slipping everything on, he grabbed his wallet that was sitting on his desk and left the room. Jogging down the stairs, Roxas found Naminé in the same place where he left her. Her face held a sullen expression, but she tried to hide it when she caught sight of him.

One question rang through Roxas' mind: _What could be bothering her?_

- x -

Naminé leaned against the wall, staring down at her borrowed shoes under her borrowed sweatpants. When had she become so dependent on people? She heard footsteps approaching and instantly changed her expression, trying to make sure Roxas didn't notice. As Roxas drew nearer, he gave her another smile and held out his hand.

"Ready to go?"

Naminé merely nodded in response. When she grasped his hand, the warm familiar comfort didn't wash over her like usual; this feeling was laced with guilt.

The pair stepped out into the blazing sunlight and Naminé had to resort to squinting. She didn't even remember the last time she was outside. Naminé walked hand-in-hand with Roxas all the way to the bus stop. Neither of them said a word. When the bus arrived, the two stepped onto the vehicle silently.

The air between the two blonds seemed to get heavier each second the silence lasted. Naminé squirmed in her seat, she never felt so awkward next to Roxas before. She turned her head to face the window. In the next few quiet minutes, Naminé was completely absorbed in the passing scenery; she nearly jumped when she finally heard Roxas speak,

"Nami… can you tell me what's bothering you?"

Naminé froze in her seat, giving no response.

"Nami? Please?"

Naminé wanted to tell Roxas badly, but that would just impose more weight on him, making her feel even guiltier. Naminé's skin prickled with sadness when she heard Roxas murmur pleadingly,

"Naminé… Please… stop… stop shutting me out."

Naminé slowly turned around to find Roxas staring hard into his lap. She swore she could've seen tiny liquid beads forming at the edges of his eyes.

- x -

Roxas balled his hands into fists. He could feel a warm sting in his eyes but he didn't care. Whatever was bothering Naminé was starting to bother him. Just yesterday, she was fine, but today, something definitely changed.

A soft touch on his shoulder made him snap his head up. Cobalt eyes met cornflower blue. Gentle fingers wiped the lone tears on his cheeks away. Naminé's soft voice inquired,

"Roxas… why are you crying?"

"I want my best friend back."

Roxas watched as Naminé's expression go from concern, to distressed, then to confused.

"But—"

"She's currently not here with me mentally. She won't answer me at all."

Naminé lowered her head and whispered,

"Because she doesn't want her best friend to think that she's annoying…"

Roxas' eyes brightened a fraction. That was it?

"Well… her best friend thinks that's stupid."

Naminé's eyes widened a bit. Looking shocked, Naminé tried to scoot away from him, but Roxas cornered her against the window and gripped her chin to make her look at him.

"Her best friend thinks that's stupid because… that would never happen. Her best friend loves her very much. Her best friend would do anything for her –"

Roxas paused – he saw Naminé's eyes grow rounder so he quickly tacked on,

"Because that's what best _friends_ do for each other."

Roxas felt his heart cave in inside his chest, not noticing the blonde female's face fell slightly as well.

Roxas suddenly felt two slender arms wrap around his neck, pulling him down. He then found himself tucked under Naminé's chin. He heard a muffled voice through his hair mutter,

"Sorry… for making you wait."

Roxas smiled into Naminé's borrowed shirt and let his arms wind around her back. He hesitated in adding the next phrase, but he decided to anyway.

"I'll wait forever if I have to."

The rest of the bus ride was spent in comfortable silence.

- x -

As the familiar streets of downtown Twilight Town came into view, Naminé shuddered. Even though her night there was blurry, it didn't stop from making her feel uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat a bit, trying not to wake a sleeping Roxas. Looking down, Naminé noticed his peaceful expression, lips slightly parted. She smiled into his hair and gave his back a light pat.

Naminé looked out the window and saw the bar nearing; she hesitantly raised her hand to pull the stopper on the bus. With a light _ding_, the bus rolled to a stop and Roxas eyes gradually opened. Naminé heard a groan from her best friend as he lifted himself out of his sleeping position. She giggled when he gave her a confounded look when she tugged him off the bus. The laughter quickly faded when she realized where they were.

Naminé's eyes trailed down to her hand when she felt Roxas' warm hand encase hers. The two briskly walked into the bar to find the bartender idly cleaning a glass. Looking up, the bartender's eyes glinted knowingly.

"Back for the car?"

Roxas nodded and the bartender threw a ring of keys at him. Naminé watched in shock when Roxas walked over to the bartender and gave him a fist bump.

"Thanks Hayner."

"Anytime. Oh and… that car… heh… um… might need some washing."

"…"

"…Well, it looks like you haven't had any breakfast so here are some pastries!"

"…"

"I didn't spike them, I swear! Jeez Roxas, that was _one_ time!"

Roxas gave 'Hayner' a pointed look, grabbed the food, and tugged Naminé out of there. With confusion, Naminé asked,

"Um… you two know each other?"

"Yeah, we were college buddies, same fraternity house, y'know?"

Naminé nodded slowly and then another question popped into her head,

"…What did he mean that we would need to wash my car?"

Roxas paused for a second and continued,

"…I'd rather not know."

Naminé tilted her head in confusion but soon stopped dead in her tracks. Her car was a mess. In just three days of idling, the car had splatters of mud and what seems to be beer all over. Naminé walked over to the driver side and opened the door, about to get in when Roxas stopped her.

"You don't have the keys, remember?"

Naminé tried to grab the key ring dangling on Roxas' finger as he lifted it out of her reach.

"Nor do you have your license…"

Naminé huffed angrily and grabbed the pastries from Roxas' hands. She then walked to the passenger side, got in and slammed the door. She looked away when Roxas got into the driver seat and started the car, laughing.

"C'mon Nam. It's not like I'm gonna crash or anything…"

Naminé blew some hair out of her face, pulled out a pastry and started nibbling on it.

"Nami…"

"…"

"If you're not gonna talk now, you'll regret it later."

Naminé snapped her head around to face Roxas, just to find him facing the road with a smug smirk on his face. Before Naminé could open her mouth, Roxas had already driven into a nearby car wash and gotten out of the vehicle.

Naminé quickly followed suit. She hurried over to Roxas where he was already depositing munny into the machine. Tapping him on the shoulder, Roxas turned around to look at her with a blank expression, devoid of any emotion. Naminé was taken aback, was her silence really that intolerable? Roxas wordlessly brushed past her for the water hose.

Following him, Naminé quickly caught up and grasped the hand that wasn't holding the hose. He didn't turn around. Naminé licked her lips and started,

"Roxas, I—"

In a second, Naminé was drenched from head to toe, with her mouth still open from her interrupted sentence. Her flaxen hair was plastered to her back and forehead. Scowling from beneath her bangs, she seethed at the blond male in front of her.

"I told you you'd pay…"

- x -

Roxas' smirk broke into a fit laughter as he observed his best friend's behavior. That's what she gets for being silent all the time. Besides... a car wash shouldn't always be boring and tedious…

Roxas placed his thumb over the nozzle and was about to spray his blonde companion again when the hose was ripped out of his hands and he was met with a face full of water. Roxas peered under his dripping hair to see a smirk playing on Naminé's lips while his had been washed off by the hose.

With a growl, Roxas tried to wrench the hose out of Naminé's grasp, only to be sprayed back by a jet of water from his best friend. Spluttering from the water intake, Roxas lunged again, successfully getting the hose away from Naminé.

Roxas aimed the hose, ready to fire when he realized the flaxen blonde was nowhere in sight. Looking around, he noticed a pair of sandaled feet on the other side of the car. With a smirk, Roxas aimed a stream of water at the feet; when he heard a high-pitched shriek, he knew he got the right person.

A blonde head stuck out from over the top of the car, Roxas took no hesitation in blasting said blonde with another bout of water. Instead of like he planned, the head ducked out of sight so the water ricocheted off the car sides; Roxas hoped that she at least got sprayed by some projectile drops.

They revolved around the car a bit, successfully "cleaning" the car like they _intended_ to. With multiple sprays and drenched clothing, a defeated voice called out,

"Fine! I give, I give!"

Roxas lowered the water hose and gave a skeptical look at the cowering figure through the car windows.

"Seriously! I don't have anything to spray you with… truce?"

Roxas kept his suspicious expression but nodded. He kept his eyes trained on Naminé as she slowly stepped out from behind the car and made her way over to where he stood. Naminé shook her head a few times, water droplets flying from her hair. A grin crept up onto Roxas face.

Making sure Naminé was looking down, he sprayed her again. From the expression the woman in front of him gave him, he was in for it – big time.

"Hikari! I'm gonna get you SO bad that you wish you were never born…"

Roxas scoffed.

"I'd like to see you _try_, Blondie—"

With that, Roxas was tackled to the ground with a surprised yelp. The hose wrestled away from his hands. When Roxas finally opened his eyes, he found a very pissed off Naminé sitting on top of him, hose pointed at his face.

"Shit."

"That's right, _Blondie._"

Roxas crammed his eyes shut, waiting for the worst. He heard the click of the hose handle – nothing happened. He heard it again, and again… Gathering his courage, Roxas dared to open one eye and see what has happening. The hose was still pointed at his face, but no water came out. Roxas sighed with relief and started to laugh as Naminé continued to try and get the water to spray. He cracked a smile and taunted,

"So what's this about me not wanting to be born?"

He watched as a flustered Naminé fumed on top of him, eventually slapping his cheeks repeatedly.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! I get it!"

Naminé smirked triumphantly above him and started to lift herself off. She held out a hand to help Roxas up. He took it graciously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Jeez… you didn't have to knock me to the ground you know…"

Naminé stuck her tongue out at him.

"You –!"

"Roxas?"

The two blonds snapped their heads in the direction where the voice rang out.

- x -

Naminé felt something rise up in her when she heard a feminine voice call out her best friend's name. The feeling was immediately replaced with guilt when a beautiful brunette with big green eyes walked into view. Roxas' voice startled her,

"Olette?"

"Roxas!"

Naminé felt Roxas' warm presence leave her side when he ran over to the new comer and gave her a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Naminé felt herself flare up and then die down; she can't be the _only_ girl in his life, right? She can't have him _all_ to herself… right? It's his life; he should spend it how he wanted… Naminé leaned against her car. Then why did seeing those two hurt so much?

Naminé tuned out their excited chatter and closed her eyes, willing the stinging in her blue orbs to go away. She heard splashes making their way towards her and a very faint: _Bye Olette!_

Naminé opened her eyes again to see Roxas with an exuberant smile on his face. When he turned to face her, and said,

"Sorry to leave you like that Nami, I just haven't seen Olette in the longest time! I – Nami, you're shivering!"

Naminé looked down. She was indeed shaking.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? I would've left Olette earlier so we can get you cleaned up!"

Naminé flinched when he heard the other girl's name. She then grumbled almost inaudibly,

"…Well this is technically your fault."

Roxas rolled his eyes and pushed Naminé towards the passenger seat. He paused at his door and asked,

"…Er, you don't mind if your seats get wet… right?"

Naminé gave Roxas a pointed look,

"Looks like I don't have a choice, right?"

Roxas stood up and held his hands up.

"Touchy touchy…"

Naminé scoffed as Roxas walked around the car, but let a small smile slip onto her face. Roxas got into the car and started the engine, they drove home in welcomed silence, save for Naminé's chattering teeth.

Naminé was rushed out of her car and into Roxas' house. He hurried her into his bathroom so she could take a hot shower before she got sick; it was starting to near nightfall already. After pushing her into the bathroom, Roxas called through the door,

"I'll lay a set of clothes out for you on my bed again, okay? I'll be in the guest room taking a shower."

Naminé heard his footsteps walk away before she could answer. Shrugging, she peeled off the sticky, wet clothing and stepped into the inviting, hot shower.

- x -

Roxas tore through his clothes and picked something random threw it onto the bed. He went back into his closet and pulled any available pieces of clothing from their rack and hastily went to the guest room for his shower.

Why did he _have_ to give Naminé _light-colored_ clothing today? Roxas stepped out of his wet clothes and jumped into the shower. Stupid testosterone. Shaking his head, Roxas emptied thoughts and listened to the sound of water hitting tile – this afternoon's events starting to replay in his head.

- x -

Naminé stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy towel around herself. In doing so, her stomach growled noisily. How had she gone a whole day without food? She walked out into Roxas' bedroom, finding it empty. She grabbed the discarded clothes lying on the bed and stepped back into the bathroom to change.

Afterwards, she went down the hallway and heard the water running in the guestroom. She shrugged and continued on into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and looked at its contents. Naminé found a container of left over noodles. She pulled it out and heated it up.

She made her way to the cupboard and pulled out two plates and two forks and started to set up the table. The microwave beeped and Naminé took out the hot container. Scooping out a pile of noodles, she began to eat.

A few minutes later, she heard the floorboards creak; Naminé looked up to see Roxas with dripping hair and drooping eyes. How did it still stay spiky when wet? She opened her mouth to tell him to sit. Instead of having words come out, a yawn came instead. Roxas chuckled lightly and asked,

"Sleepy?"

Naminé nodded slowly. Then Roxas let out a yawn himself, after rubbing his eyes, he murmured,

"Here, you go up to bed, I'll finish up here –"

Before finishing his sentence, Roxas yawned again. Naminé smiled,

"No. You eat a little bit and go up to bed. I'll finish up here."

Roxas grinned and nodded. He plopped down into his chair and started to eat slowly. Naminé picked up her empty plate and went over to the sink, letting the water run over the porcelain.

"By the way, your car keys and bag with everything in it are sitting on my desk."

Naminé nodded.

She finished up her plate and fork, a clatter of metal against clay sounded next to her as Roxas dropped his utensils into the sink. Wrapping his arms around her neck and giving her a kiss on the cheek, he muttered sleepily,

"Thanks, Nami."

Roxas unraveled his arms and turned on his heel to climb the stairs to his room. Flushing, Naminé brought her hand up to her cheek. In the same moment, the scene where Roxas kissed Olette on the cheek flashed before her eyes.

Naminé let her hand drop and went back to mechanically washing the dishes. She was always in the way, wasn't she? If she weren't there, Roxas wouldn't have to cut his time short with Olette. Naminé made up her mind as she finished cleaning the dishes.

Making her way up to Roxas' room, she saw him sprawled across his bed, passed out. The scene melted her heart. Naminé quietly stepped next to the bed and knelt beside the sleeping Roxas. She let a finger dwindle on his cheekbones and eyelids. Sighing lightly, Naminé brushed Roxas' bangs from his forehead and landed a light kiss on his tan skin.

Naminé stood up and let her fingers linger on Roxas' face. Roxas groaned lightly and muttered her name, causing a blush to paint the flaxen blonde's cheeks. Naminé hastily left Roxas' bedside before she had a change of heart. She grabbed her keys and bag and rushed out of Roxas' room, turned off the lights, and shut the door with a muffled click.

Naminé ran out to her car and got in it. She looked up at the sky in wonder, when had it started raining? Naminé started the engine and reversed out of the driveway. She gave one last glance at her second home, letting a few tears escape her eyes. She whispered,

"I'm sorry." Before speeding towards her own house.

- x -

After driving for about 20 minutes, the storm grew heavier. Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning now joined the pelting rain drops. Naminé finally reached her house and hastily made her way to the front door. She fumbled with her bag until she found her house keys, letting herself inside.

Sighing heavily, Naminé tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear and climbed the stairs towards her room. She missed Roxas already, her place felt so cold and desolate compared to his.

Naminé swung the door to her room open and let her things drop on the floor. A flash of lightning lit up the room for a brief second, not that Naminé noticed anything. She walked to her door, meaning to close it when a chilling voice spoke,

"Hey Babe."

Naminé froze. He couldn't… could he? She hoped that this was a nightmare. She hoped that she was still in Roxas' bed, wrapped protectively in his arms. She hoped that she was anywhere but here.

Reality took a toll on Naminé as she was pushed roughly against the wall. She felt a calloused finger trace her jaw line as it tipped her chin up. Another pair of lips hovered dangerously close over hers. The voice laughed darkly and whispered,

"Where have _you_ been hiding?"

* * *

**A/N:** I am SO sorry that this took so long! ...So here's an extra _long_ update :D! I def wanted to get this out on Thanksgiving, to be thankful to ALL of you faithful readers out there :3. This is def my first 'successful' long story sooo THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT c:.

I think there's about one or two chapters left of this story... Depending on how I feel... but don't worry, many things will be resolved in... -shiftyeyes- THE SEQUEL [DUNDUNDUN.]

[btw, popcorn was a game I used to play on the trampoline, basically, someone is curled up in a ball and the other people around them jump close to them to get them to 'pop' out. haha... get it :P?]

haha. ANYWAY.

I really hope you enjoyed! Though this may be my last update for a while... I'm a busy girl now ;~;.

-xLychee


	8. Please Hold On

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

**WARNING! Excessive swearing ahead... along with some um... suggestive content?**

**

* * *

Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

_ Naminé winced as she heard and felt the fabric being ripped from her figure. Why was this happening to her? Maybe… she should've listened to Roxas…_

_ Naminé felt another cool rush of air, letting her know that another article of clothing had been torn away. Just a few minutes ago, she had been desperate to find her voice, despairingly trying to escape from the rough, prying hands, only for her attempts to end in vain. Every time she heard the halting rip of cloth, she felt another bit of her morale being shred. _

_ Suddenly, she felt a calloused hand roam her body, shivers raking her broken stature. The hands continued to explore her figure, gripping a few places uncomfortably and repeatedly. Naminé bit her lip, her body and mind were no longer connected; she didn't want to moan and give the man above her the wrong idea. Within just a few minutes of this process, Naminé felt her body weaken. She was teetering on the edge of succumbing to the man that dominated above her. _

_However, she still debated in her mind; would it really matter what happened anymore? Roxas hated her anyway; there really wasn't a reason to fight any longer. Naminé's last sliver of will dwindled with her thoughts. _

_She let out a loud and surprised gasp as she felt two hands wrench her legs open. In making this noise, Naminé felt the other sounds that she held in start to escape her as well. The man above her laughed sinisterly and—_

Roxas woke in a cold sweat. His eyes flew open and sat straight up in his bed; scanning the room in the process, making sure he was actually still at home. Seeing the familiar objects of his home, he slowly slipped back under the covers… It was just a dream. Roxas chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

He turned around to face Naminé, about to tell her about the absurd nightmare he just had. Opening his eyes, he found that the petite blonde wasn't next to him. Bolting up from his bed, Roxas sprinted to the guest room, only to find it empty. Running back to his room, he found that her bag and keys were gone from his desk.

Roxas' eyes widened in realization and snatched his phone off the night stand. He hastily scanned through his contacts, looking for the one he needed. Remembering that he didn't have her number anymore, he ran an agitated hand through his hair. Instead, he called the one person that he could thank forever.

Quickly selecting the contact, he put the phone to his ear, bouncing his leg up and down. He quietly chanted,

"Please pick up, _please_ pick up, _please__** pick up!**_"

A groggy female voice answered,

"Hello?"

"Mama Tifa? Oh thank god…"

Roxas could hear the confusion and fatigue in Tifa's voice when she asked,

"Roxas? Why are you calling at 2 in the morning?"

Roxas' eyes flickered to the clock on his nightstand. He hastily said,

"I'm sorry Mama Tifa, but I have a bad emergency – like, **bad.**"

He heard her yawn but could hear the bit of urgency in her voice now.

"What's wrong, honey?"

Roxas licked his lips nervously and spoke hurriedly, trying not to waste time.

"It's Naminé. I know I said I'd protect her with my life and I honestly tried but… she told me to go to sleep and that she'd finish washing the dishes and I was just dead tired, but obviously I shouldn't have left her alone and now she's gone and—"

Tifa interrupted Roxas with,

"Slow down, sweetie. What do you mean 'she's gone'?"

Licking his lips again, Roxas replied,

"She's gone. She isn't in my house. Normally she'd be in my arms asleep – **only**because she told me to – and I checked the guest room and she wasn't there. Naminé seemed really off when we were hanging out yesterday but I didn't think she'd make me go to sleep and leave me in the middle of the night… God… Mama Tifa, I don't even know **when** she left…"

Roxas was met with silence on the other end of the line. Roxas started to feel anxious as the quiet prolonged. A hushed voice asked,

"She told you… right?"

Confusion flashed across Roxas face,

"What?"

"She told you _what_ happened, right?"

Roxas froze and gulped.

"I'm guessing that's a yes."

"But how—"

"Mother's intuition. I already knew Seifer was bad from the way you talked about him, and it wasn't from bias."

Roxas opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off again.

"Roxas. Go get her, she probably went home. I don't know if it's too late but I don't want you to even think about that. I'll do what I did last time and I'll join you with Cloud before you know it."

Roxas already started moving as Tifa had uttered the word 'go'. Silence fell upon the two again, until Tifa broke it with a simple but effective request.

"Please save my little girl, Roxas."

Gulping again, Roxas nodded into the phone and whispered,

"I will."

- x -

Naminé stared longingly at the torn borrowed shirt on the floor, just a few feet away from her. She winced when a pair of unrelenting fingers twisted her chin to face a pair of icy blue eyes. She almost gagged when she felt Seifer's hot breath fawn over her face.

Seifer had torn off the outer shirt that Naminé was wearing and ripped a few pieces off to tie her hands behind her back. He had stuffed a few more strips of ripped cloth into his pocket, ready to use it whenever. Seifer had already had Naminé pinned to the wall for about 2 hours now, still thinking about what _else _to do with the broken girl.

Naminé had tried her best to conceal the fear she felt but she knew Seifer could pretty much feel the frightened vibes she gave off. Why couldn't she do anything right?

She felt a pair of lips hover of her own again. Even though Seifer hadn't physically raped her yet… he sure did a hell of a job on her mouth and neck. Instead of receiving abuse on Naminé's already bruised lips, she heard Seifer ask the question she still refused to answer.

"C'mon babe. Where have you been?"

She felt a hand feel up her side. Naminé shivered involuntarily and clamped her mouth shut. Smiling coyly, Seifer pretended to be upset,

"Aw baby, don't be like that."

As soon as he finished that statement, he rammed his knee right between Naminé's legs, causing her to gasp, thus letting Seifer ravage her mouth again.

Naminé let a few tears escape through her shut eyes and tried to block the pain out. When she tasted the saltiness of her tears, Seifer's mouth disappeared. Before she could open her eyes, she felt a tongue trace the tear tracks lining her cheeks. Disgusted, Naminé tried to shrink away, only causing Seifer to tower over her more.

She turned her head away from him, only to shiver when Seifer brought his tongue to her ear, slowly making his way down to her collarbone. Naminé felt her body start to weaken; she didn't know how much longer her will could control her body.

As Seifer continued his "treatment" on her, Naminé could distantly hear her cell phone vibrate. A shred of hope entered Naminé's mind. She didn't care if it was Roxas or her mother, as long as _somebody_ came to help her, _anybody_ to get her away from Seifer would be appreciated.

Evidently, Seifer heard the phone as well—just as it ended. Instead of the reaction he had last time, he slapped Naminé across the face. The contrast between the lustful actions Seifer committed unto her and the sting of the violence shocked Naminé. She couldn't even respond when he growled,

"Who's calling you, bitch? At 2 in the fucking morning?"

Naminé stayed silent and received a knee to the gut. She felt the wind rush out of her and the reflex to cover the pain, realizing that she was hindered by the cloth that tied her hands. She could feel the anger that Seifer gave off, he threw her to the ground and stomped over to her bag and wrenched it open.

Seifer dug out the phone and answered it,

"What do you want?"

Naminé could hear the pause in the caller's voice and heard a familiar voice start,

"You motherfuc—!"

Lifting her head, Naminé saw Seifer throw her phone at the wall and watched it shatter into pieces. Before she could even blink, Seifer strode over to her and gripped a handful of her hair, causing her to gasp in pain.

"All this time, you were with that _son of a bitch_ **Roxas**?"

He threw her against the wall and didn't even flinch when Naminé crumpled to the floor.

Naminé lifted her head weakly when she heard her home phone ring. She saw the slight halt in Seifer's step as he advanced towards her. However, Seifer trudged over to the phone and ripped the cord out and threw it over his shoulder.

"I will **not** have anymore _interruptions_."

As the footfalls drew nearer, Naminé let her eyes slide shut, thinking of only one name.

_Roxas…_

- x -

Roxas floored the gas pedal and grit his teeth in frustration. That _bastard_ had the nerve to answer Naminé's phone… Tifa had rattled off Naminé's number and address, urging him to leave as soon as possible. He didn't need to be told twice.

What worried him the most was that he couldn't tell if Naminé was still conscious or not, he hadn't heard a thing that sounded remotely like her. Roxas was stopped again by another red light. He slammed his hands down in fury and glared menacingly at the red hue.

Roxas put a hand to his chest, trying to calm himself down, when he felt something cool against his skin. Looking down, he saw his necklace gleaming in the dark. Upon seeing the piece of jewelry, Roxas felt tears prick his eyes. He brought the metal to his lips and whispered desperately against it,

"Please hold on, Naminé…"

- x -

Naminé yelped in pain as her back collided against the solid wall again. Her body groaned in protest when Seifer yanked her up by a bruised arm. Naminé hadn't dared to open her eyes after her phones had been destroyed, she didn't even want to see what Seifer looked like.

As soon as she felt like she was standing up again, she felt Seifer lividly lash out at her, smacking her across the face. Landing on the floor, Naminé didn't even attempt to get up. This wasn't the first time she was thrown to the ground, but this time she felt a foreign taste of iron in her mouth.

Naminé heard footsteps fall closer to her and felt a presence as it leaned down near her broken frame.

"Look at you. Crumpled and broken. I don't even know what I saw in you. You were probably better off with that son of a bitch."

Naminé stayed quiet, maybe if he kept talking, she could stall the pain. Seifer mistook her silence for something else.

"Oh, curious now are we? Well, seeing how I'm gonna make sure you'll never see that wuss again, I'll tell you. I bet you're wondering why I picked you out of _all_ the other girls that wanted me in high school hm?"

Now that Naminé thought of it… she _was_ curious.

"Well, that's because I _love_ to torture that blond shithead friend of yours."

Seifer paused and kicked Naminé in the stomach, causing her to cough up some more blood onto the carpet. He smiled sinisterly,

"And what better way to do it, than to steal away his precious blonde angel?"

Seifer grabbed Naminé's chin and snapped her head up to make her face him through her half closed eyes.

"As you can see, my plan worked out great. You being the little _whore_ you are, didn't listen to the ass and came back to _me_."

Naminé took note of the insult mentally but decided that she was too weak to do anything. Seifer dropped her chin and let her head fall back onto the carpet with a dull thud. He walked a circle around her, a smirk growing on his face.

"I've seen the way he looks at you and it was _priceless_ to see his face afterwards. He looked so _dumb_ and _weak_, over a _stupid slut_ like _you—_"

"**Don't** you talk about him like that."

Naminé had found her voice, no matter how weak. She could take the insults thrown at her, but she wouldn't let _scum_ like Seifer talk about Roxas. Seifer narrowed his eyes at her,

"_What_ did you just say to me, bitch? Did you just tell _me_ to do something?"

Naminé quieted again. She could hear Seifer snickering,

"Ha, of course. A dumbshit blonde like you can't stand for herself, you need _another_ fuckhead blond to help you out—"

"Shut the **fuck** up."

Naminé heard Seifer turn on his heel and stomp over to her. She felt the roots of her hair being pulled up again and she was thrown against the wall roughly.

"I **dare** you to say that again."

Naminé weakly spat in his face, her saliva combined with blood,

"I _said,_ shut the **fucking **_hole_ on your face up."

A calloused hand grabbed a hold on Naminé's throat, causing her to gag. Seifer narrowed his eyes and said coyly,

"Did I just hear those words come out of your pretty little slutty mouth?"

Naminé didn't get a chance to answer because Seifer tightened the hold on her neck, causing her to choke and start coughing more blood. He lifted her off the ground by her neck and threw her across the room. Naminé's back met with one of her shelves, causing everything on it to fall on her.

She felt something slice across her cheek but the temporary pain was blocked when Seifer grabbed her head and slammed it against the door. Naminé felt something wet trickle down by her ear but paid no attention. Her mind getting hazy, she couldn't even find the energy to wince in pain when Seifer kicked her again and tossed her into a corner of the room.

She felt him walk over and pat her cheek twice before slapping her so hard that her own hair gave her whiplash. As Seifer picked her up by her throat again, Naminé thought she heard tires rolling to a stop on the pavement outside. Then again… she could be imaging things.

Naminé was abruptly dropped on the floor when something downstairs sounded loudly. It sounded like a window breaking… Naminé received one last kick to the head while she heard Seifer mutter some profanities under his breath and sprint out the door… but not before he crudely yanked something off of her neck.

On the verge of losing consciousness, Naminé thought she heard very familiar voices yelling downstairs and a tussle go on for a few minutes. She blinked a couple of times, trying to keep herself awake. Naminé let out a silent gasp of pain when she turned her head towards the click of a door. She attempted to focus her sight when she heard someone whisper,

"Oh my god…"

Immediately, she heard shuffling feet move beside her and gather her form up into their arms, cradling her gently. Lifting up her eyelids was a huge task, so she let her eyes slide shut as she murmured one last thing before blacking out,

"Roxas…"

Though she couldn't be sure, Naminé felt a light hand go through her hair and a pair lips pressed against her forehead, whispering words of comfort,

_I'm here now… I'm sorry._

- x -

Roxas' car rolled to a stop outside a "peaceful" looking house. If he didn't know any better, the silence at 2 am would have seemed normal. He snapped his head up when he heard a semi-loud clatter of objects in the house before him.

Sprinting towards the house, Roxas rammed himself into the door. The door hadn't budged a bit. Tifa had said that there was a key lying around somewhere but Roxas just didn't have the _time._

Spying a window that seemed breech-able, Roxas hastily made his way over while massaging his sore shoulder.

"Damn…"

Roxas tried to find a way to open the window without breaking it, but when he saw a figure being lifted into the air, he grabbed the closest rock he could find and threw it at the window with all the force in his body.

The shatter of the glass echoed through the silent neighborhood and Roxas climbed inside, wincing slightly at the jagged cuts the window inflicted on him. Hearing a muffled thud from coming upstairs, Roxas dusted himself off and towards the stairs, only to meet the person he never wanted to see again.

Before any words were said, Roxas barely had enough time to dodge a punch thrown at him. Gritting his teeth, he hissed,

"Motherfucker."

The other man smirked sarcastically and corrected him,

"No. Blondie-fucker."

Roxas grew livid and punched the man before him, feeling satisfied when he felt the jaw under his fist crack. Roxas proceeded to kick Seifer in the gut, watching him kneel over. Walking over, Roxas grabbed Seifer's head and brought his knee up to meet the other man's nose.

Roxas watched as his enemy crumple to the ground, he turned his back to head up the stairs, not realizing that Seifer had gotten up and started advancing towards him. As Roxas reached the first step of the stairs, a bulky arm caught him around his neck and pulled him backwards.

Instinctively, Roxas brought his hands up to the arm, trying to free himself, but to no avail. Starting to feel a lack of air, Roxas desperately looked out the window, seeing faint headlights coming into view. He twitched angrily when he felt Seifer whisper into his hear,

"Just like old times huh, chickenwuss?"

Roxas gave one last huff of air and was able to kick Seifer in the groin. The beanie-clad blond fell to the ground, flinching in pain. Roxas spun around when he heard a lock twist open. He saw the two people he wanted to see the (second) most.

Roxas made a move to move towards Cloud and Tifa but they shook their heads and pointed upstairs. Widening his eyes, Roxas nodded quickly and sprinted up the stairs, laughing quietly to himself when he heard Tifa's knuckles crack.

Once he made it upstairs, Roxas looked frantically around for Naminé's room, guessing it was the one with the door ajar. When he entered, the sight before him left him speechless. Objects from the room were strewn across the floor, the walls seemingly beat down. In scanning the room, Roxas found a broken figure lying in a corner.

"Oh my god…"

Roxas made his way over, praying that this form was Naminé and that it wasn't too late. When he got closer, he recognized the shade of blonde and immediately gathered the broken girl into his arms.

Roxas watched as Naminé's eyes tried to flutter open but decided to shut instead. His heart rate quickened, this can't be happening. He felt his grip tighten on the blonde in his arms, but a light airy voice brought him out of his thoughts of despair.

"Roxas…"

Blinking twice, Roxas looked at the girl he cradled. He felt his heart swell, she was okay, and she'll make it through. Stifling a shout for joy, Roxas let his hand gently run through the fragile blonde's hair. Slowly, he brought his lips to the blonde's bruised forehead, whispering against her battered skin.

"I'm here now… I'm sorry."

* * *

**A/N:** So... this WASN'T like a 6k chapter... haha well. If I wrote THAT much, we wouldn't have a next chapter c:. I was gonna upload this on xmas... but it's too sad for that :c. SO I WROTE YOU GUYS SOMETHING ELSE FOR XMAS. ALONG WITH A VIDEO ;D!

So look forward to that, I'll post the link on my profile when it's up. Thanks for supporting this story for so long! The very last chapter will come soon :). [Even if there's no set release date... it can't be that far. It won't be too long of a chapter].

Also! Look forward to the sequel! Though it won't be started sometime until AFTER I get **_Fairy Tale_** up and running :3. Anyway, keep a look out!

-xLychee

Please **_R_**_&_**_R_**, makes an author happy!


	9. It's Alright

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story besides the plot. Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me nor does Belle of the Boulevard. All I own is the plot.**

**

* * *

Belle of the Boulevard**

_By xLycheeRain_

A steady monotone beep filled the fragile blonde's ears and the smell of hospital filled her nostrils. She attempted to open her eyes, but eventually decided she was way too tired for that – in fact, too tired to do _anything._ She settled for just lying on what she thought was a bed and continued to sleep.

Just as the petite blonde felt her consciousness slip away, she heard muffled voices, growing louder and a gentle click of a door. Her mind was now completely awake when she heard a familiar voice, frantically trying to persuade someone.

_Roxas…_

The blonde tried opening her eyes, to look at her best friend's face. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him… her heart raced at the prospect of seeing those cheerful blue eyes and sandy-blond hair again.

As she tried to let her eyes see light again, Naminé decided to keep her eyes shut. Where's the harm in teasing the boy for a bit more? Hearing the footsteps draw nearer, her blood ran cold at the tone of Roxas' voice.

"Doctor… please! Can't… can't you let her stay until past her birthday? It's in 13 days…"

Doctor…Stay? Was she intruding on someone's property? And what about her birthday? But it was summer when she and Roxas made up! It was July; her birthday wasn't until February… Unless…

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hikari. She hasn't shown any signs of improvement for three years. The injuries she sustained and the trauma her head received… I was surprised she even made it here alive, considering the amount of blood she lost as well."

Naminé felt herself stiffen. Three years? She was, apparently, out cold for three years? The blonde wanted to shout at the doctor saying she was right there, she could hear everything they said. She wanted to say to Roxas that she was completely fine… but felt her insides twist when Roxas' voice became shaky and pleading.

"Please doctor, I know you've tolerated me for this long… but, please. Naminé means everything to me… can't we at least keep her until after her birthday?"

Naminé noted the crack in Roxas' voice as he said her name; it was accompanied by an exasperated sigh, as if the doctor heard this excuse many times before.

"Very well, Mr. Hikari. Just make sure Ms. Suzuki's parents are alright with—"

"They stand with me 100 percent on anything I say regarding Naminé."

Naminé heard the controlled anger and sadness wrapped up in that single phrase. She had never heard Roxas speak like that before. Throwing away her previous plan about surprising Roxas, Naminé willed her eyes to fly open and envelope the blond male in a bone crushing hug.

Naminé froze for the second time today. She couldn't move. She wasn't insanely tired that she didn't _want_ to move… she was insanely tired because she _wasn't_ _able to _move. A sudden rush of realization overwhelmed the petite blonde.

_She was in a coma._

An obnoxious scrape of a metal stool against the linoleum brought Naminé out of her epiphany. A light pressure pressed into the side of her bed and she felt two large, calloused hands envelope her own tiny ones, rubbing soothing circles into the back of them. Normally, Naminé would've relaxed immediately. Roxas used to rub circles into the back of her hands for as long as she could remember… However, the consistent shaking of his usually steady fingers and stray tears that dropped onto Naminé's pale skin told her otherwise.

Naminé felt a familiar prickling feeling behind her eyes when she heard a soft, cracked voice sing the melody that brought her back together with her best friend. She swam through the memories that they shared; content that Roxas was just there with her. Suddenly, the warmth surrounding her hands disappeared.

Naminé felt something brush across her forehead and a few fingers lingering across her cheeks. A deep sigh echoed through Naminé's ears, followed by a hollowed click. Deciding that it wasn't worth staying up anymore, she let her self fall unconscious.

She had never felt so **incomplete**.

- x -

Roxas slipped out of the room and slumped against the white door and slid to the ground. It's been three years since he found Naminé in a bloody heap on the ground. Three years since Seifer was officially locked away. Three years since Roxas has seen those cerulean eyes.

Balling up his fists, Roxas picked himself up off the floor. He'd leave the small blonde in the room a note. He had to set distance between them… so it wouldn't hurt so much when she was gone.

Roxas bit his lip – he got choked up just _thinking_ about it. He hastily turned the door knob to re-enter the room. Spotting a pad of sticky notes that the doctor had left behind, Roxas scrawled a quick message down. When he was finished, he hadn't even noticed the small wet dot that intruded on the square sheet.

Roxas hesitated – where would he put the note? He had decided to not come back for a few days… not until her birthday. So that note _had_ to be visible… just in case she woke up. Roxas laughed wryly to himself. Those words had been circling in his head for the past _three years_, why would this time make it any different?

He settled for placing the sticky note on Naminé's hand. After seeing how flimsy it was, Roxas ripped it off and crumpled it into his pocket. Instead, he penned his message down onto her hand, using the gentlest of pressures.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Roxas left the room.

He had never felt so **helpless**.

- x -

Naminé stirred from her sleep. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so useless. She didn't even know how many days it's been since Roxas last visited. From what she knew… he _had_ visited pretty much everyday… Maybe she was just asleep for an incredibly long time?

Naminé felt a bitter smile form. She was in a stupid coma for the past _three years_. Of course she'd been asleep for a long time. Feeling a yawn approaching, she instinctively reached up to rub her eyes.

Naminé froze. Her mouth had definitely just formed an 'O'. Trying to squash the growing hope in her chest, she tried blinking her eyes. Gasping as the feeling of her muscles moving again, Naminé felt slightly giddy. However, the feeling passed when all her sight met with was darkness. Panicking, Naminé turned her head. Neon green numbers reading, "12:00" comforted her. Looking closer, she saw the date on the clock as well.

Naminé felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she read the date; it was indeed three years from the last time she was up and about, and it was definitely just… one day from her birthday? Naminé felt tears roll down her cheeks. She was _awake._

She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. As she brought her hand back into view, Naminé was shocked to find black ink smeared all over. Upon closer examination, she could barely make out the name, 'Roxas' and the words, 'I'm sorry'. The first message near her knuckles was completely smeared. Filling with dread, Naminé sank back under her covers. What could Roxas possibly sorry for? As she pondered about this, the door clicked open and the lights flicked on.

Groaning from the sudden change in lighting, Naminé didn't hear the sudden footsteps behind her. Instead, she froze when she felt a tentative hand touch her shoulder and whisper, "Naminé?"

To prevent herself from getting a killer headache, Naminé turned around slowly to meet the owner of the voice – not daring to believe. When she finally made it all the way around, Naminé's eyes met with a pair of tear filled cobalt ones.

"You're… awake."

Before Naminé could even think about letting her tears fall, Roxas enveloped her into a cautious hug. She mustered up all her strength to bring her own arms up to wrap around the shaking blond. As soon as Naminé let her arms rest on his back, he collapsed against her, crying softly.

Not being able to stop the slow smile and dripping tears, Naminé buried her face into Roxas' hair and whispered,

"It's alright."

* * *

**A/N: **Before shooting me in the face, hear me out! I'm SO sorry. I was overwhelmed with work and my bad grades that I had a huge cockblock in my head. This came out WEEKS after I had planned and I'm sorry.

Another note before shooting me - I'm sorry I ended this the way I did. I wasn't about to write two best friends just *bam* in love. Especially not after a coma... I may rethink about writing a sequel. Sorry if this disappointed!

So to sum things up in a few words - I'm sorry.

Hope you enjoyed anyway!

**Please R&R! Makes an author happy! _Especially because it's the end of this story!_**

***dances because of first finished multi-chapter***

-xLychee c:**  
**


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